A nucleoid-associated protein is involved in the emergence of antibiotic resistance by promoting the frequent exchange of the replicative DNA polymerase in M. smegmatis.

Antibiotic resistance in M. tuberculosis exclusively originates from chromosomal mutations, either during normal DNA replication or under stress, when the expression of error-prone DNA polymerases increases to repair damaged DNA. To bypass DNA lesions and catalyze error-prone DNA synthesis, translesion polymerases must be able to access the DNA, temporarily replacing the high-fidelity replicative polymerase. The mechanisms that govern polymerase exchange are not well understood, especially in mycobacteria. Here, using a suite of quantitative fluorescence imaging techniques, we discover that, as in other bacterial species, in M. smegmatis, the replicative polymerase, DnaE1, exchanges at a timescale much faster than that of DNA replication. Interestingly, this fast exchange rate depends on an actinobacteria-specific nucleoid-associated protein (NAP), Lsr2. In cells missing lsr2, DnaE1 exchanges less frequently, and the chromosome is replicated more faithfully. Additionally, in conditions that damage DNA, cells lacking lsr2 load the complex needed to bypass DNA lesions less effectively and, consistently, replicate with higher fidelity but exhibit growth defects. Together, our results show that Lsr2 promotes dynamic flexibility of the mycobacterial replisome, which is critical for robust cell growth and lesion repair in conditions that damage DNA.