Mycobacterium smegmatis dnaA region and autonomous replication activity

A 4-kb chromosomal DNA fragment from Mycobacterium smegmatis that has a dnaA gene was studied to analyze mycobacteria's method of starting replication. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence showed homologies with the rpmH gene, which encodes the ribosomal protein L34, the dnaA gene, which encodes the replication initiator protein DnaA, and the 5' end of the dnaN gene, which encodes the beta subunit of DNA polymerase III.