when the anucleate cells start to appear. It might therefore be that the DnaA-inactivating activity of the datA site becomes necessary for the dnaC2 cells under these circumstances. Deletion of datA could lead to a higher level of active DnaA or a shift in the balance between the ATP-form and ADP-form of DnaA in these cells, which again could lead to cell division in the
absence of replication.