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An intercistronic region and ribosome-binding site in bacterial messenger RNA.

A messenger RNA fragment about 220 nucleotides long has been isolated from 32-P-labeled tryptophan operon mRNA of Escherichia coli. When point mutations at the end of trpB and the beginning of trpA were introduced, the resulting nucleotide changes were found; hence the mRNA fragment must include the trpB-trpA intercistronic region. Most of the nucleotide sequences can be assigned to specific locations in the structural genes, based on the amino-acid sequences of the trpB and trpA proteins. In vitro, ribosomes bind to this piece of mRNA and protect from nuclease attack a region about 40 nucleotides long, containing a central AUG codon. The triplet codons to the 3' side of this AUG correspond to the first seven amino acids of the trpA protein; the codons to the 5' side correspond to the last six amino acids of the trpB protein. Translation of trpB is terminated by single UGA codon, which overlaps the trpA AUG initiation codon: UGAUG. Thus the untranslated "intercistronic" region consists of only two nucleotides. The RNA sequence spanning this region undoubtedly fulfills two functions, specifying ribosome recognition signals as well as encoding amino-acid sequences.

Base Sequence↗

Essential steps in the ppGpp-dependent regulation of bacterial ribosomal RNA promoters can be explained by substrate competition.

Transcription of stable RNA genes is known to be dramatically reduced in the presence of guanosine tetraphosphate (ppGpp), the mediator of the stringent response. Using in vitro transcription systems with ribosomal RNA P1 promoters, we have analyzed which step of the initiation cycle is inhibited by the effector ppGpp. We show that formation of the ternary transcription initiation complex consisting of RNA polymerase holoenzyme, the promoter DNA, and the first initiating nucleotide triphosphate is the major step at which ppGpp exerts its regulation. Neither primary binding of RNA polymerase to the promoter nor isomerization to the open binary complexes or the subsequent promoter clearance steps contributes notably to the observed inhibition. The effect of ppGpp-dependent inhibition in the formation of the ternary transcription initiation complex could be mimicked by nucleotide derivatives known to bind to the RNA polymerase active center. Using these model compounds, almost identical inhibition characteristics were observed as seen with ppGpp. The results support the previously published model, which suggests that ppGpp-dependent inhibition is based on competition between the inhibitor molecules and NTP substrates for access to the active center of RNA polymerase.

DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases↗

Bacterial ribosomal RNA in pieces.

The exact knowledge on the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) structure is an important prerequisite for work with rRNA sequences in bioinformatic analyses and in experimental research. Most available rRNA sequences of bacteria are based on gene sequences and on similarity analyses using Escherichia coli rRNA as a standard. Therefore, it is often overlooked that many bacteria harbour mature rRNA 'in pieces'. In some cases, the processing steps during the fragmentation lead to the removal of rRNA segments that are usually found in the ribosome. In this review, the current knowledge on the mechanisms of rRNA fragmentation and on the occurrence of fragmented rRNA in bacteria is summarized, and the physiological implications of this phenomenon are discussed.

Bacteria↗

Conserved portion in bacterial ribosomal RNA.

The conserved portion in bacterial ribosomal RNA was studied by the DNA-RNA hybridization method. The hybridization percentages were as follows: Bacillus subtilis DNA and B. subtilis 23S rRNA, 0.16; Escherichia coli DNA and E. coli 23S rRNA, 0.15; B. subtilis DNA and E. coli 23S rRNA, 0.03; E. coli DNA and B. subtilis 23S rRNA, 0.04. The RNA's extracted from the heterologous hybrids could be rehybridized with DNA's of B. subtilis and E. coli. The average chain lengths of the RNA's were estimated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation and Sephadex gel filtration. The results suggested that the size might be larger than 30 nucleotides. Nucleotide compositions of the RNA's in the hybrids were also studied. Both RNA's contained higher molar percentages of guanylic acid and cytidylic acid than the whole rRNA's.

Bacillus subtilis↗

Use of photoaffinity crosslinking and molecular modeling to analyze the global architecture of ribonuclease P RNA.

Bacterial ribonuclease P (RNase P), an endonuclease involved in tRNA maturation, is a ribonucleoprotein containing a catalytic RNA. The secondary structure of this ribozyme is well established, but comparatively little is understood about its 3-D structure. In this analysis, orientation and distance constraints between elements within the Escherichia coli RNase P RNA-pre-tRNA complex were determined by intra- and intermolecular crosslinking experiments. A molecular mechanics-based RNA structure refinement protocol was used to incorporate the distance constraints indicated by crosslinking, along with the known secondary structure of RNase P RNA and the tertiary structure of tRNA, into molecular models. Seven different structures that satisfy the constraints equally well were generated and compared by superposition to estimate helix positions and orientations. Manual refinement within the range of conformations indicated by the molecular mechanics analysis was used to derive a model of RNase P RNA with bound substrate pre-tRNA that is consistent with the crosslinking results and the available phylogenetic comparisons.

Affinity Labels↗

CHARGE-TRANSFER SELF-COMPLEX FORMED BY 8-AZAGUANINE.

The perpendicular distance between the planes of successive molecules of 8-azaguanine, in crystals of 8-azaguanine monohydrate, is 3.25 A. This distance indicates intermolecular interaction of the charge-transfer type. 8-Azaguanine may act as a cell poison by forming a charge-transfer complex within the bacterial RNA.

Azaguanine↗

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of nucleic acid sequence-based amplification for molecular detection of M. tuberculosis.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA-ELISA) was developed for molecular detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The primers targeting 16S rRNA were used for the amplification of bacterial RNA by the isothermal digoxigenin (DIG)-labeling NASBA process, resulting in the accumulation of DIG-labeled RNA amplicons. The amplicons were hybridized with a specific biotinylated DNA probe which was non-covalently immobilized on streptavidin-coated microtiter plate. The RNA-DNA hybrids were colorimetrically detected by the addition of an anti-DIG antibody HRP conjugate and 2,2-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzthiazolinsulfonate) substrate. Using this method, as little as 1 x 10(2) CFU ml(-1) of M. tuberculosis was detected within less than 5h. Results obtained from the clinical specimens showed 85.7% and 96% sensitivity and specificity, respectively. No interference was encountered in the amplification and detection of M. tuberculosis in the presence of non-target bacteria, confirming the specificity of the method.

Base Sequence↗

Mega-Dalton biomolecular motion captured from electron microscopy reconstructions.

The vibrational analysis of elastic models suggests that the essential motions of large biomolecular assemblies can be captured efficiently at an intermediate scale without requiring knowledge of the atomic structure. While prior work has established a theoretical foundation for this analysis, we demonstrate here on experimental electron microscopy maps that vibrational modes indeed describe functionally relevant movements of macromolecular machines. The clamp closure in bacterial RNA polymerase, the ratcheting of 30S and 50S subunits of the ribosome, and the dynamic flexibility of chaperonin CCT are extracted directly from single electron microscopy structures at 15-27 A resolution. The striking agreement of the presented results with experimentally observed motions suggests that the motion of the large scale machinery in the cell is surprisingly independent of detailed atomic interactions and can be quite reasonably described as a motion of elastic bodies.

Chaperonin Containing TCP-1↗

Evaluation of the Gen-Probe DNA probe for the detection of legionellae in culture.

A commercial DNA probe kit designed to detect rRNA from legionellae was evaluated for its ability to correctly discriminate between legionellae and non-legionellae taken from culture plates. The probe kit, made by the Gen-Probe Corp. (San Diego, Calif.), was radiolabeled with 125I, and probe bacterial RNA hybridization, detected in a simple one-tube system hybridization assay, was quantitated with a gamma counter. A total of 156 Legionella sp. strains were tested, of which 125 were Legionella pneumophila and the remainder were strains from 21 other Legionella spp. A total of 106 gram-negative non-legionellae, isolated from human respiratory tract (81%) and other body site (19%) specimens, were also tested; 14 genera and 28 species were represented. The probe easily distinguished all of the legionellae from the non-legionellae. The average legionellae/non-legionellae hybridization ratio was 42:1, and the lowest ratio was 2:1; a minor modification in the procedure increased the lowest ratio to 5:1. In addition to correctly identifying all Legionella species, the probe was able to separate some of the various species of Legionella. L. pneumophila strains hybridized more completely to the probe than did the other Legionella spp.; L. wadsworthii and L. oakridgensis hybridized only about 25% of the probe relative to L. pneumophila. Some strains of phenotypically identified L. pneumophila had much lower hybridization to the probe than other members of the species and may represent a new Legionella species. The simplicity of the technique and specificity of the probe make it a good candidate for confirming the identity of legionellae in culture.

DNA↗

Application of two-step quantitative reverse-transcription PCR to bacterial diagnostics.

Use of high copy number bacterial RNA offers several advantages in a diagnostics context compared with current deoxyribonucleic acid-based assays. The opportunity to only detect viable cells by targeting labile RNA transcripts may create an opportunity for "real-time" monitoring of pathogen load in response to a treatment regimen, while the natural amplification provided by the relative abundance of the RNA target compared with its corresponding gene opens a door to potential nonamplified direct detection technologies. In this chapter, a method is described to accurately quantify specific RNA transcripts and thus determine their potential utility as "high-copy" targets. The quantification method described also has application in gene-expression analysis.

Bacteria↗

Crystal structure of Staphylococcus aureus tRNA adenosine deaminase TadA in complex with RNA.

Bacterial tRNA adenosine deaminases (TadAs) catalyze the hydrolytic deamination of adenosine to inosine at the wobble position of tRNA(Arg2), a process that enables this single tRNA to recognize three different arginine codons in mRNA. In addition, inosine is also introduced at the wobble position of multiple eukaryotic tRNAs. The genes encoding these deaminases are essential in bacteria and yeast, demonstrating the importance of their biological activity. Here we report the crystallization and structure determination to 2.0 A of Staphylococcus aureus TadA bound to the anticodon stem-loop of tRNA(Arg2) bearing nebularine, a non-hydrolyzable adenosine analog, at the wobble position. The cocrystal structure reveals the basis for both sequence and structure specificity in the interactions of TadA with RNA, and it additionally provides insight into the active site architecture that promotes efficient hydrolytic deamination.

Adenosine Deaminase↗

Utilization of promoter and terminator sites on bacteriophage T7 DNA by RNA polymerases from a variety of bacterial orders.

The transcriptional properties of bacterial RNA polymerases purified from seven different species and representing a variety of bacterial orders have been studied using the well characterized DNA from phage T7 as template. The subunit composition of the different preparations suggests that each RNA polymerase holoenzyme has a promoter structure (betabeta'alpha2sigma) similar to that of the well studied E. coli and B. subtilis enzymes. Each enzyme utilizes DNA from bacteriophage T7 as an effective template for RNA synthesis, although all preparations contain a substantial fraction of inactive enzyme. Electrophoretic analysis of the RNA products made with the different RNA polymerases in vitro using T7 DNA (deletion mutant deltaD111) as template reveals that with minor exceptions, all of the heterologous RNA polymerases utilize the same collection of promoter sites on T7 used by the E. coli host enzyme, and only those promoter sites. The T7 early terminator is also efficiently utilized by each enzyme. Since the different bacterial species from which the RNA polymerases were derived are genetically quite distant, it appears that there is a structural element in the promoter which governs its recognition and which is universally recognized among RNA polymerases of different bacterial species. While the different bacterial RNA polymerases generally utilize the same set of T7 promoter sites, the efficiency of utilization of the different promoters varies considerably for different RNA polymerases and for different reaction conditions with the same RNA polymerase. Hence although the several T7 promoter sites share the ability to be recognized by bacterial RNA polymerases, each shows a unique pattern of utilization and therefore must possess a unique element of promoter structure as well. It has previously been shown (Stahl and Chamberlin, 1977) that T7 promoters A1, C, D and E interact differently with E. coli RNA polymerase as judged by the properties of complexes formed between each promoter and the latter enzyme. Since competition takes place among different promoter sites on a template and since these sites can differ functionally, small changes in reaction conditions or in the structure of the RNA polymerase can lead to significant changes in the rate of utilization of different promoter sites even when these promoter sites share common elements. Because the T7 promoters and terminator are utilized efficiently by such a wide range of RNA polymerases and because each of the several T7 promoters possesses unique properties which govern its utilization by RNA polymerase, analysis of the transcripts formed on a T7 DNA template provides a simple and rapid procedure for detecting and analyzing alterations in bacterial RNA polymerases which affect promoter or terminator recognition or utilization.

Bacteria↗

[A comparison of bacterial RNA-polymerase RNA synthesis on polytene Drosophila chromosomes with transcription in living cells].

The incorporation of 3H-uridine in different regions of polytene chromosomes in live cells of the Drosophila melanogaster salivary glands was compared with the incorporation of 3H-UTP in the same regions under the incubation of cytological preparations of these chromosomes with the E. coli RNA polymerase. The label distribution by regions was compared with the DNA content in them. Individual regions of chromosomes differ by 3H-uridine incorporation in live cells to a much greater extent than by 3H-UTP incorporation in vitro under the incubation with a non-homologous enzyme. RNA synthesis in an exogenous enzyme depends on the DNA content in different chromosome regions to a much greater extent than RNA synthesis in vivo. The correlation of label distribution after 3H-uridine incorporation in live cells and after RNA synthesis in vitro on the preparations by the bacterial RNA polymerase is, correspondingly, very low. This enzyme forms, however, RNA's on puffs 2-3 times more actively than on the same regions in non-puffing state but this difference is dozens of times greater in live cells. RNA synthesis in vitro is, thus, non-specific and does not correspond practically to the intensity of RNA synthesis on the same chromosome regions in live cells. At the same time, as in live cells, the E. coli enzyme synthesizes twice more RNA on the single X-chromosome of males (1X2A) than on each of X-chromosomes of diploid (2X2A) and triploid (3X3A) females or superfemales (3X2A), whereas in intersexes (2X3A) X-chromosomes display intermediate template activity. Thus, RNA synthesis by a heterologous enzyme in vitro does not differ by this index from the synthesis in live cells. It is suggested that differences in the template activity of X-chromosomes in vitro depending on the sex index (X : A) are due to different degree of DNP condensation in these chromosomes. In spite of differences in the degree of condensation, the male X-chromosome binds on the fixed preparation approximately the same amount of thymus histone F1 carrying fluorochrome as each of two female X-chromosomes. Hence, there is no sharp difference between the male and female X-chromosomes by the number and length of DNA regions accessible for interaction with exogenous proteins. On the basis of the data obtained, a hypothesis about two levels and, respectively, two mechanisms of control gene activity in animal chromosomes is considered. The first mechanism is, supposedly, based on decondensation of DNP appears to result in that the same proteins-regulators in the same amount activate corresponding genes in X-chromosome in males twice more strongly than in females.

Animals↗