Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1992 Feb;174(4):1339–1344. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.4.1339-1344.1992

Effect of Escherichia coli nusG function on lambda N-mediated transcription antitermination.

S L Sullivan 1, D F Ward 1, M E Gottesman 1
PMCID: PMC206430  PMID: 1531224

Abstract

The Escherichia coli Nus factors act in conjunction with the bacteriophage lambda N protein to suppress transcription termination on the lambda chromosome. NusA binds both N and RNA polymerase and may also interact with other Nus factors. To search for additional components of the N antitermination system, we isolated host revertants that restored N activity in nusA1 mutants. One revertant, nusG4, was mapped to the rif region of the E. coli chromosome and shown to represent a point mutation near the 3' end of the nusG gene. The nusG4 mutation also suppressed nusE71 but not nusASal, nusB5, nusC60 (rpoB60), or nusD026 (rho026). However, nusG+ expressed from a multicopy plasmid suppressed nusD026 and related rho mutants for both lambda and phage T4 growth. These results suggest that NusG may act as a component of the N antitermination complex. In addition, the data imply a role for NusG in Rho-dependent termination.

Full text

PDF
1341

Selected References

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

  1. Adhya S., Miller W. Modulation of the two promoters of the galactose operon of Escherichia coli. Nature. 1979 Jun 7;279(5713):492–494. doi: 10.1038/279492a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. An G., Friesen J. D. Characterization of promoter-cloning plasmids: analysis of operon structure in the rif region of Escherichia coli and isolation of an enhanced internal promoter mutant. J Bacteriol. 1980 Dec;144(3):904–916. doi: 10.1128/jb.144.3.904-916.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. An G., Friesen J. D. Plasmid vehicles for direct cloning of Escherichia coli promoters. J Bacteriol. 1979 Nov;140(2):400–407. doi: 10.1128/jb.140.2.400-407.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Barik S., Ghosh B., Whalen W., Lazinski D., Das A. An antitermination protein engages the elongating transcription apparatus at a promoter-proximal recognition site. Cell. 1987 Sep 11;50(6):885–899. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(87)90515-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Caruso M., Coppo A., Manzi A., Pulitzer J. F. Host--virus interactions in the control of T4 prereplicative transcription. I. tabC (rho) mutants. J Mol Biol. 1979 Dec 25;135(4):959–977. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(79)90522-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Chou P. Y., Fasman G. D. Empirical predictions of protein conformation. Annu Rev Biochem. 1978;47:251–276. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.47.070178.001343. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Das A., Gottesman M. E., Wardwell J., Trisler P., Gottesman S. lambda mutation in the Escherichia coli rho gene that inhibits the N protein activity of phage lambda. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Sep;80(18):5530–5534. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.18.5530. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Downing W. L., Sullivan S. L., Gottesman M. E., Dennis P. P. Sequence and transcriptional pattern of the essential Escherichia coli secE-nusG operon. J Bacteriol. 1990 Mar;172(3):1621–1627. doi: 10.1128/jb.172.3.1621-1627.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Greenblatt J., Li J., Adhya S., Friedman D. I., Baron L. S., Redfield B., Kung H. F., Weissbach H. L factor that is required for beta-galactosidase synthesis is the nusA gene product involved in transcription termination. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Apr;77(4):1991–1994. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.4.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Greenblatt J., Li J. Interaction of the sigma factor and the nusA gene protein of E. coli with RNA polymerase in the initiation-termination cycle of transcription. Cell. 1981 May;24(2):421–428. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90332-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Greenblatt J., Li J. The nusA gene protein of Escherichia coli. Its identification and a demonstration that it interacts with the gene N transcription anti-termination protein of bacteriophage lambda. J Mol Biol. 1981 Mar 25;147(1):11–23. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(81)90076-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Greenblatt J., McLimont M., Hanly S. Termination of transcription by nusA gene protein of Escherichia coli. Nature. 1981 Jul 16;292(5820):215–220. doi: 10.1038/292215a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Hinton D. M. Altered expression of the bacteriophage T4 gene 41 (primase-helicase) in an Escherichia coli rho mutant. J Biol Chem. 1989 Aug 25;264(24):14440–14446. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Horwitz R. J., Li J., Greenblatt J. An elongation control particle containing the N gene transcriptional antitermination protein of bacteriophage lambda. Cell. 1987 Nov 20;51(4):631–641. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(87)90132-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Hsu T., Karam J. D. Transcriptional mapping of a DNA replication gene cluster in bacteriophage T4. Sites for initiation, termination, and mRNA processing. J Biol Chem. 1990 Mar 25;265(9):5303–5316. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lau L. F., Roberts J. W., Wu R. RNA polymerase pausing and transcript release at the lambda tR1 terminator in vitro. J Biol Chem. 1983 Aug 10;258(15):9391–9397. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Mason S. W., Greenblatt J. Assembly of transcription elongation complexes containing the N protein of phage lambda and the Escherichia coli elongation factors NusA, NusB, NusG, and S10. Genes Dev. 1991 Aug;5(8):1504–1512. doi: 10.1101/gad.5.8.1504. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Miyajima A., Shibuya M., Kaziro Y. Construction and characterization of the two hybrid Co1E1 plasmids carrying Escherichia coli tufB gene. FEBS Lett. 1979 Jun 15;102(2):207–210. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(79)80001-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Oppenheim A. B., Gottesman S., Gottesman M. Regulation of bacteriophage lambda int gene expression. J Mol Biol. 1982 Jul 5;158(3):327–346. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(82)90201-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Platt T. Termination of transcription and its regulation in the tryptophan operon of E. coli. Cell. 1981 Apr;24(1):10–23. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90496-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Platt T. Transcription termination and the regulation of gene expression. Annu Rev Biochem. 1986;55:339–372. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.55.070186.002011. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Revel H. R., Stitt B. L., Lielausis I., Wood W. B. Role of the host cell in bacteriophage T4 development. I. Characterization of host mutants that block T4 head assembly. J Virol. 1980 Jan;33(1):366–376. doi: 10.1128/jvi.33.1.366-376.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Richardson J. P. Rho-dependent transcription termination. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1990 Apr 6;1048(2-3):127–138. doi: 10.1016/0167-4781(90)90048-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Roberts J. W. Termination factor for RNA synthesis. Nature. 1969 Dec 20;224(5225):1168–1174. doi: 10.1038/2241168a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Rosenberg M., Court D., Shimatake H., Brady C., Wulff D. L. The relationship between function and DNA sequence in an intercistronic regulatory region in phage lambda. Nature. 1978 Mar 30;272(5652):414–423. doi: 10.1038/272414a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Salstrom J. S., Szybalski W. Coliphage lambdanutL-: a unique class of mutants defective in the site of gene N product utilization for antitermination of leftward transcription. J Mol Biol. 1978 Sep 5;124(1):195–221. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(78)90156-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Sanger F., Nicklen S., Coulson A. R. DNA sequencing with chain-terminating inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Dec;74(12):5463–5467. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.12.5463. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Schatz P. J., Riggs P. D., Jacq A., Fath M. J., Beckwith J. The secE gene encodes an integral membrane protein required for protein export in Escherichia coli. Genes Dev. 1989 Jul;3(7):1035–1044. doi: 10.1101/gad.3.7.1035. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Schmidt M. C., Chamberlin M. J. Binding of rho factor to Escherichia coli RNA polymerase mediated by nusA protein. J Biol Chem. 1984 Dec 25;259(24):15000–15002. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Schmidt M. C., Chamberlin M. J. nusA protein of Escherichia coli is an efficient transcription termination factor for certain terminator sites. J Mol Biol. 1987 Jun 20;195(4):809–818. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(87)90486-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Sharrock R. A., Gourse R. L., Nomura M. Defective antitermination of rRNA transcription and derepression of rRNA and tRNA synthesis in the nusB5 mutant of Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Aug;82(16):5275–5279. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.16.5275. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Spencer C. A., Groudine M. Transcription elongation and eukaryotic gene regulation. Oncogene. 1990 Jun;5(6):777–785. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Stitt B. L., Mosig G. Impaired expression of certain prereplicative bacteriophage T4 genes explains impaired T4 DNA synthesis in Escherichia coli rho (nusD) mutants. J Bacteriol. 1989 Jul;171(7):3872–3880. doi: 10.1128/jb.171.7.3872-3880.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Stitt B. L., Revel H. R., Lielausis I., Wood W. B. Role of the host cell in bacteriophage T4 development. II. Characterization of host mutants that have pleiotropic effects on T4 growth. J Virol. 1980 Sep;35(3):775–789. doi: 10.1128/jvi.35.3.775-789.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Ward D. F., DeLong A., Gottesman M. E. Escherichia coli nusB mutations that suppress nusA1 exhibit lambda N specificity. J Mol Biol. 1983 Jul 25;168(1):73–85. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(83)80323-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Ward D. F., Gottesman M. E. The nus mutations affect transcription termination in Escherichia coli. Nature. 1981 Jul 16;292(5820):212–215. doi: 10.1038/292212a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES