Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1992 Jan;174(2):619–622. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.2.619-622.1992

Bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase travels far ahead of ribosomes in vivo.

I Iost 1, J Guillerez 1, M Dreyfus 1
PMCID: PMC205757  PMID: 1729251

Abstract

We show that in Escherichia coli at 32 degrees C, the T7 RNA polymerase travels over the lacZ gene about eightfold faster than ribosomes travel over the corresponding mRNA. We discuss how the T7 phage might exploit this high rate in its growth optimization strategy and how it obviates the possible drawbacks of uncoupling transcription from translation.

Full text

PDF
619

Images in this article

621Image
on p.621

Selected References

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

  1. Adhya S., Gottesman M. Control of transcription termination. Annu Rev Biochem. 1978;47:967–996. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.47.070178.004535. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Belasco J. G., Higgins C. F. Mechanisms of mRNA decay in bacteria: a perspective. Gene. 1988 Dec 10;72(1-2):15–23. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(88)90123-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chevrier-Miller M., Jacques N., Raibaud O., Dreyfus M. Transcription of single-copy hybrid lacZ genes by T7 RNA polymerase in Escherichia coli: mRNA synthesis and degradation can be uncoupled from translation. Nucleic Acids Res. 1990 Oct 11;18(19):5787–5792. doi: 10.1093/nar/18.19.5787. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dreyfus M. What constitutes the signal for the initiation of protein synthesis on Escherichia coli mRNAs? J Mol Biol. 1988 Nov 5;204(1):79–94. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(88)90601-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dunn J. J., Studier F. W. Complete nucleotide sequence of bacteriophage T7 DNA and the locations of T7 genetic elements. J Mol Biol. 1983 Jun 5;166(4):477–535. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(83)80282-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Giordano T. J., Deuschle U., Bujard H., McAllister W. T. Regulation of coliphage T3 and T7 RNA polymerases by the lac repressor-operator system. Gene. 1989 Dec 14;84(2):209–219. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(89)90494-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Golomb M., Chamberlin M. Characterization of T7-specific ribonucleic acid polymerase. IV. Resolution of the major in vitro transcripts by gel electrophoresis. J Biol Chem. 1974 May 10;249(9):2858–2863. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Ikeda R. A., Richardson C. C. Interactions of the RNA polymerase of bacteriophage T7 with its promoter during binding and initiation of transcription. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Jun;83(11):3614–3618. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.11.3614. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Jacques N., Dreyfus M. Translation initiation in Escherichia coli: old and new questions. Mol Microbiol. 1990 Jul;4(7):1063–1067. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1990.tb00679.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Landick R., Carey J., Yanofsky C. Translation activates the paused transcription complex and restores transcription of the trp operon leader region. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Jul;82(14):4663–4667. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.14.4663. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. McCormick J. R., Zengel J. M., Lindahl L. Intermediates in the degradation of mRNA from the lactose operon of Escherichia coli. Nucleic Acids Res. 1991 May 25;19(10):2767–2776. doi: 10.1093/nar/19.10.2767. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Moffatt B. A., Studier F. W. T7 lysozyme inhibits transcription by T7 RNA polymerase. Cell. 1987 Apr 24;49(2):221–227. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(87)90563-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Murakawa G. J., Kwan C., Yamashita J., Nierlich D. P. Transcription and decay of the lac messenger: role of an intergenic terminator. J Bacteriol. 1991 Jan;173(1):28–36. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.1.28-36.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Olins P. O., Rangwala S. H. A novel sequence element derived from bacteriophage T7 mRNA acts as an enhancer of translation of the lacZ gene in Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem. 1989 Oct 15;264(29):16973–16976. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Richardson J. P. Preventing the synthesis of unused transcripts by Rho factor. Cell. 1991 Mar 22;64(6):1047–1049. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(91)90257-y. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Rosa M. D. Structure analysis of three T7 late mRNA ribosome binding sites. J Mol Biol. 1981 Mar 25;147(1):55–71. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(81)90079-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rosenberg A. H., Lade B. N., Chui D. S., Lin S. W., Dunn J. J., Studier F. W. Vectors for selective expression of cloned DNAs by T7 RNA polymerase. Gene. 1987;56(1):125–135. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(87)90165-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Ruteshouser E. C., Richardson J. P. Identification and characterization of transcription termination sites in the Escherichia coli lacZ gene. J Mol Biol. 1989 Jul 5;208(1):23–43. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(89)90085-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Studier F. W. Bacteriophage T7. Science. 1972 Apr 28;176(4033):367–376. doi: 10.1126/science.176.4033.367. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Studier F. W., Moffatt B. A. Use of bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase to direct selective high-level expression of cloned genes. J Mol Biol. 1986 May 5;189(1):113–130. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(86)90385-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Summers W. C. The process of infection with coliphage T7. IV. Stability of RNA in bacteriophage-infected cells. J Mol Biol. 1970 Aug;51(3):671–678. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(70)90015-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Yanofsky C. Attenuation in the control of expression of bacterial operons. Nature. 1981 Feb 26;289(5800):751–758. doi: 10.1038/289751a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Zubay G. In vitro synthesis of protein in microbial systems. Annu Rev Genet. 1973;7:267–287. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.07.120173.001411. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES