Skip to main content
PMC home page
Genetics logoLink to Genetics
. 1974 Feb;76(2):185–194. doi: 10.1093/genetics/76.2.185

Genetic Analysis of an ESCHERICHIA COLI Mutant with a Lesion in Stable RNA Turnover

Yoshinari Ohnishi 1
PMCID: PMC1213060  PMID: 4595641

Abstract

A mutant that rapidly degrades more than 80% of its rRNA and tRNA under defined conditions was genetically analyzed. Two genes, srnA and srnB, are separately located, and the mutated alleles of both are required for degradation of stable RNA in cultures treated with rifampicin at 42°. srnA is closely linked to tsx by matings and transduction tests; by P1 transduction, the gene order is lac (9 min) proC (9.55 min) tsx (9.8 min) srnA (about 10 min) purE (12 min) rnsA (14.4 min). srnB is not yet completely mapped, but is outside the lac-rnsA region, probably in the region between 75 and 90 min.—The product of the rnsA gene, RNase I, is a potent endonuclease of E. coli, and the only one known that can attack ribosomes and tRNA. However, not only are the srn lesions genetically separate from rnsA, but also, derivatives of an srn strain were prepared lacking RNase I, and they retain the Srn- phenotype. Thus, no correlation of rapid RNA turnover and RNase I activity has been found.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (562.0 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Achtman M. Genetics of the F sex factor in enterobacteriaceae. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 1973;60:79–123. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-65502-9_3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bachmann B. J. Pedigrees of some mutant strains of Escherichia coli K-12. Bacteriol Rev. 1972 Dec;36(4):525–557. doi: 10.1128/br.36.4.525-557.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. De Liperi E., Brunori F., Coli R., Cartoni F. Osservazioni cliniche su una nuova associazione di principi regolatori della digestone. Clin Ter. 1967 Mar 31;40(6):565–572. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. ENNIS H. L., LUBIN M. PRE-RIBOSOMAL PARTICLES FORMED IN POTASSIUM-DEPLETED CELLS. STUDIES ON DEGRADATION AND STABILIZATION. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1965 Apr 19;95:605–623. doi: 10.1016/0005-2787(65)90515-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Gesteland R. F. Isolation and characterization of ribonuclease I mutants of Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1966 Mar;16(1):67–84. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(66)80263-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. HERSHEY A. D. Conservation of nucleic acids during bacterial growth. J Gen Physiol. 1954 Nov 20;38(2):145–148. doi: 10.1085/jgp.38.2.145. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. HORIUCHI T., HORIUCHI S., MIZUNO D. Degradation of ribonucleic acid in Escherichia coli in phosphorus-deficient culture. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1959 Feb;31(2):570–572. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(59)90044-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. LENNOX E. S. Transduction of linked genetic characters of the host by bacteriophage P1. Virology. 1955 Jul;1(2):190–206. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(55)90016-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. MANDELSTAM J. The intracellular turnover of protein and nucleic acids and its role in biochemical differentiation. Bacteriol Rev. 1960 Sep;24(3):289–308. doi: 10.1128/br.24.3.289-308.1960. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Natori S., Nozawa R., Mizunod The turnover of ribosomal RNA of Escherichia coli in a magnesium-deficient stage. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1966 Feb 21;114(2):245–253. doi: 10.1016/0005-2787(66)90306-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Neidhardt F. C. The regulation RNA synthesis in bacteria. Prog Nucleic Acid Res Mol Biol. 1964;3:145–181. doi: 10.1016/s0079-6603(08)60741-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Okazaki R., Arisawa M., Sugino A. Slow joining of newly replicated DNA chains in DNA polymerase I-deficient Escherichia coli mutants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1971 Dec;68(12):2954–2957. doi: 10.1073/pnas.68.12.2954. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Onishi Y., Schlessinger D. Total breakdown of ribosomal and transfer RNA in a mutant of Escherichia coli. Nat New Biol. 1972 Aug 23;238(86):228–231. doi: 10.1038/newbio238228a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Onishi Y., Silengo L., Kuwano M., Schlessinger D. 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate-requiring mutants of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1972 Sep;111(3):745–749. doi: 10.1128/jb.111.3.745-749.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Reiner A. M. Genetic locus for ribonuclease I in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1969 Mar;97(3):1522–1523. doi: 10.1128/jb.97.3.1522-1523.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Genetics are provided here courtesy of Oxford University Press

RESOURCES