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RNA CODEWORDS AND PROTEIN SYNTHESIS. THE EFFECT OF TRINUCLEOTIDES UPON THE BINDING OF SRNA TO RIBOSOMES.

A rapid, sensitive method is described for measuring C(14)-aminoacyl-sRNA interactions with ribosomes which are specifically induced by the appropriate RNA codewords prior to peptide-bond formation. Properties of the codeword recognition process and the minimum oligonucleotide chain length required to induce such interactions are presented. The trinucleotides, pUpUpU, pApApA, and pCpCpC, but not dinucleotides, specifically direct the binding to ribosomes of phenylalanine-, lysine-, and proline-sRNA, respectively. Since 5'-terminal, 3'-terminal, and internal codewords differ in chemical structure, three corresponding classes of codewords are proposed. The recognition of each class in this system is described. The template efficiency of trinucleotide codewords is modified greatly by terminal phosphate. Triplets with 5'-terminal phosphate are more active as templates than triplets without terminal phosphate. Triplets with 3'- or 3' (2')-terminal phosphate are markedly less active as templates. These findings are discussed in relation to the probable functions of terminal codewords. The modification of RNA and DNA codewords, converting sense into missense or nonsense codewords, is suggested as a possible regulatory mechanism in protein synthesis.

Adenine Nucleotides↗

Genetic mapping of phenylalanyl-sRNA synthetase in Escherichia coli.

Genetic mapping of the structural gene for a phenylalanyl-sRNA synthetase in Escherichia coli was accomplished by the use of mutants with temperature-sensitive or p-fluorophenylalanine-resistant enzymes. The structural gene is located at minute 33 of the Taylor-Thoman map of the E. coli chromosome, closely linked to a structural gene (aroD) for one of the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of the aromatic amino acids, and distant from the known locations of other aminoacyl-sRNA synthetase genes.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Probing the structure and function of an archaeal C/D-box methylation guide sRNA.

The genome of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus contains dozens of small C/D-box sRNAs that use a complementary guide sequence to target 2'-O-ribose methylation to specific locations within ribosomal and transfer RNAs. The sRNAs are approximately 50-60 nucleotides in length and contain two RNA structural kink-turn (K-turn) motifs that are required for assembly with ribosomal protein L7Ae, Nop5, and fibrillarin to form an active ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particle. The complex catalyzes guide-directed methylation to target RNAs. Earlier work in our laboratory has characterized the assembly pathway and methylation reaction using the model sR1 sRNA from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. This sRNA contains only one antisense region situated adjacent to the D-box, and methylation is directed to position U52 in 16S rRNA. Here we have investigated through RNA mutagenesis, the relationship between the sR1 structure and methylation-guide function. We show that although full activity of the guide requires intact C/D and C'/D' K-turn motifs, each structure plays a distinct role in the methylation reaction. The C/D motif is directly implicated in the methylation function, whereas the C'/D' element appears to play an indirect structural role by facilitating the correct folding of the RNA. Our results suggest that L7Ae facilitates the folding of the K-turn motifs (chaperone function) and, in addition, is required for methylation activity in the presence of Nop5 and Fib.

Archaeal Proteins↗

Phage-encoded sRNA counteracts xenogeneic silencing in pathogenic E. coli.

Horizontal gene transfer introduces foreign DNA that can disrupt cellular processes and is therefore subject to xenogeneic silencing by nucleoid-associated proteins such as H-NS and Hha. In Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), prophages make up a large fraction of the accessory genome and encode many virulence factors, yet their expression must overcome this silencing. We identify a prophage-encoded small RNA (sRNA), HnrS, that functions as an anti-silencing factor by targeting the H-NS paralogue Hha. HnrS is a short (66-nt) sRNA that is enriched in the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE⁺) E. coli strains and present in up to nine copies in EHEC and Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) genomes. HnrS base-pairs with the hha ribosome-binding site to inhibit translation, thereby modulating Hha-H-NS repression of virulence loci including the LEE type III secretion system. Loss of HnrS alters motility, T3SS expression, and a subset of Hha-regulated genes. These findings reveal an RNA-based counter-silencing strategy encoded by prophage to relieve xenogenic silencing.

Escherichia coli Proteins↗

RNomics in Escherichia coli detects new sRNA species and indicates parallel transcriptional output in bacteria.

Recent bioinformatics-aided searches have identified many new small RNAs (sRNAs) in the intergenic regions of the bacterium Escherichia coli. Here, a shot-gun cloning approach (RNomics) was used to generate cDNA libraries of small sized RNAs. Besides many of the known sRNAs, we found new species that were not predicted previously. The present work brings the number of sRNAs in E.coli to 62. Experimental transcription start site mapping showed that some sRNAs were encoded from independent genes, while others were processed from mRNA leaders or trailers, indicative of a parallel transcriptional output generating sRNAs co-expressed with mRNAs. Two of these RNAs (SroA and SroG) consist of known (THI and RFN) riboswitch elements. We also show that two recently identified sRNAs (RyeB and SraC/RyeA) interact, resulting in RNase III-dependent cleavage. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first case of two non-coding RNAs interacting by a putative antisense mechanism. In addition, intracellular metabolic stabilities of sRNAs were determined, including ones from previous screens. The wide range of half-lives (<2 to >32 min) indicates that sRNAs cannot generally be assumed to be metabolically stable. The experimental characterization of sRNAs analyzed here suggests that the definition of an sRNA is more complex than previously assumed.

Blotting, Northern↗

Tryptophanase in sRNA control of the Escherichia coli cell cycle.

The field of gene regulation underwent a major revolution with the discovery of small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) and the various roles they play in organisms from bacteria to man. Escherichia coli has more than 60 sRNAs that are transcribed primarily from intergenic regions. They usually target the leader region of mRNAs and prevent their translation. Protein targets are relatively rare. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Chant and Summers provide an example of a totally unexpected protein target. They show that dimers of plasmid ColE1 make an sRNA that interacts directly with the enzyme tryptophanase and enhances its affinity for its substrate, tryptophan. A breakdown product, indole, then arrests cell division until the dimers are resolved to monomers. The monomerization helps to prevent plasmid loss. Targeting a catabolic enzyme to buy time for recombination is an amazing example of adaptation, which illustrates the power of a selfish element (a plasmid in this case) to exploit the host cell machinery to its advantage.

Escherichia coli↗