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. 1990 Jun;172(6):3146–3151. doi: 10.1128/jb.172.6.3146-3151.1990

Escherichia coli rna gene encoding RNase I: cloning, overexpression, subcellular distribution of the enzyme, and use of an rna deletion to identify additional RNases.

L Q Zhu 1, T Gangopadhyay 1, K P Padmanabha 1, M P Deutscher 1
PMCID: PMC209119  PMID: 2188952

Abstract

The cloning and overexpression of the Escherichia coli rna gene encoding RNase I are described. Only a single copy of the rna gene is present on the E. coli chromosome. Although cells with as much as a 100-fold increase in RNase I activity were constructed, little effect on cell growth was observed. Overexpressed RNase I was found in the periplasmic space to the same degree (approximately 85%) as wild-type enzyme, suggesting no limitation in RNase I transport. The rna clone was used to identify a deletion strain totally lacking the rna gene. The normal growth of this strain showed that RNase I is not essential for cell viability. Extracts from the RNase I deletion strain still retained a low level of RNase activity in the presence of EDTA, conclusively demonstrating the existence of additional EDTA-active RNases in E. coli. The possibility of a RNase I inhibitor is also discussed.

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Selected References

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

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