- McGinnis, Reliza J;
- Brambley, Chad A;
- Stamey, Brandon;
- Green, William C;
- Gragg, Kimberly N;
- Cafferty, Erin R;
- Terwilliger, Thomas C;
- Hammel, Michal;
- Hollis, Thomas J;
- Miller, Justin M;
- Gainey, Maria D;
- Wallen, Jamie R
Regulation of bacteriophage gene expression involves repressor proteins that bind and downregulate early lytic promoters. A large group of mycobacteriophages code for repressors that are unusual in also terminating transcription elongation at numerous binding sites (stoperators) distributed across the phage genome. Here we provide the X-ray crystal structure of a mycobacteriophage immunity repressor bound to DNA, which reveals the binding of a monomer to an asymmetric DNA sequence using two independent DNA binding domains. The structure is supported by small-angle X-ray scattering, DNA binding, molecular dynamics, and in vivo immunity assays. We propose a model for how dual DNA binding domains facilitate regulation of both transcription initiation and elongation, while enabling evolution of other superinfection immune specificities.