In Escherichia coil cells, the origin of chromosomal replication is tempora
rily inactivated after initiation has occurred. Origin sequestration is the
first line of defence against over-initiation, providing a time window dur
ing which the initiation potential can be reduced by: (i) titration of DnaA
proteins to newly replicated chromosomal elements; (ii) regulation of the
activity of the DnaA initiator protein; and (iii) sequestration of the dnaA
gene promoter. This review represents the first attempt to consider togeth
er older and more recent data on such inactivation mechanisms in order to a
nalyze their contributions to the overall tight replication control observe
d in vivo. All cells have developed mechanisms for origin inactivation, but
those of other bacteria and eukaryotic cells are clearly distinct from tho
se of E. coli. Possible differences and similarities are discussed.