The Conserved Sporulation Protein YneE Inhibits DNA Replication in Bacillus subtilis

Cells of Bacillus subtilis triggered to sporulate under conditions of rapid growth undergo a marked decrease in chromosome copy number, which was partially relieved by a mutation in the sporulation-induced gene yneE. Cells engineered to express yneE during growth were impaired in viability and produced anucleate cells. We conclude that YneE is an inhibitor of DNA replication.