Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1982 Feb;149(2):458–468. doi: 10.1128/jb.149.2.458-468.1982

Chromosomal locations of the genes for rRNA in Escherichia coli K-12.

M Ellwood, M Nomura
PMCID: PMC216529  PMID: 6173374

Abstract

Chromosomal locations of the seven rRNA operons in Escherichia coli K-12 were studied by digesting DNA from various merodiploid strains with SalI restriction enzyme followed by Southern gel analysis with 32P-labeled 23S rRNA as a probe. The seven unique SalI DNA fragments revealed in the autoradiograms were first correlated to the seven rRNA operons previously isolated as hybrid plasmids or transducing phages. The chromosomal locations of six (rrnA, B, C, D, E, and G) of the seven isolated operons were confirmed by increased gene dosage demonstrated in autoradiograms after Southern gel analysis of DNA from relevant merodiploid strains. The gene dosage analysis showed that the location of the remaining operon (now called rrnH) is between metD and proA. No evidence was obtained for the presence of rrnF, which was previously reported to map between aroB and malA. The chromosomal location of rrnH was confirmed by P1 transduction in the following way: a DNA fragment adjacent to rrnH was cloned into pBR322; the resulting hybrid plasmid was integrated at the homologous region of the chromosome of a polA mutant; and the ampicillin resistance marker originally carried by pBR322 was then used for mapping of the nearby rrnH by P1 transduction. A close linkage of rrnH to metD (about 60% cotransduction) was observed, and the data were consistent with the order metD-rrnH-proA. Thus, mapping of all seven rRNA operons has been completed. The present study has also determined the orientation of rrnG and rrnH and demonstrated that the direction of transcription of all the rRNA operons is identical to that of DNA replication.

Full text

PDF
458

Images in this article

461Image
on p.461
462Image
on p.462
464Image
on p.464
465Image
on p.465

Selected References

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

  1. Anderson R. P., Roth J. R. Gene duplication in bacteria: alteration of gene dosage by sister-chromosome exchanges. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1979;43(Pt 2):1083–1087. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1979.043.01.120. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Boros I., Kiss A., Venetianer P. Physical map of the seven ribosomal RNA genes of Escherichia coli. Nucleic Acids Res. 1979;6(5):1817–1830. doi: 10.1093/nar/6.5.1817. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cameron J. R., Panasenko S. M., Lehman I. R., Davis R. W. In vitro construction of bacteriophage lambda carrying segments of the Escherichia coli chromosome: selection of hybrids containing the gene for DNA ligase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Sep;72(9):3416–3420. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.9.3416. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Collins J., Pritchard R. H. Relationship between chromosome replication and F'lac episome replication in Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1973 Jun 25;78(1):143–155. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(73)90434-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cooper S., Helmstetter C. E. Chromosome replication and the division cycle of Escherichia coli B/r. J Mol Biol. 1968 Feb 14;31(3):519–540. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(68)90425-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Deonier R. C., Otsubo E., Lee H. J., Davidson N. Electron microscope heteroduplex studies of sequence relations among plasmids of Escherichia coli. VII. Mapping the ribosomal RNA genes of plasmid F14. J Mol Biol. 1974 Nov 15;89(4):619–629. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(74)90039-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Duester G. L., Holmes W. M. The distal end of the ribosomal RNA operon rrnD of Escherichia coli contains a tRNA1thr gene, two 5s rRNA genes and a transcription terminator. Nucleic Acids Res. 1980 Sep 11;8(17):3793–3807. doi: 10.1093/nar/8.17.3793. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Ellwood M., Nomura M. Deletion of a ribosomal ribonucleic acid operon in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1980 Aug;143(2):1077–1080. doi: 10.1128/jb.143.2.1077-1080.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Epstein W., Kim B. S. Potassium transport loci in Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol. 1971 Nov;108(2):639–644. doi: 10.1128/jb.108.2.639-644.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Glansdorff N. Pseudoinversions in the chromosome of Escherichia coli K-12. Genetics. 1967 Jan;55(1):49–61. doi: 10.1093/genetics/55.1.49. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Greener A., Hill C. W. Identification of a novel genetic element in Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol. 1980 Oct;144(1):312–321. doi: 10.1128/jb.144.1.312-321.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Ikemura T., Nomura M. Expression of spacer tRNA genes in ribosomal RNA transcription units carried by hybrid Col E1 plasmids in E. coli. Cell. 1977 Aug;11(4):779–793. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(77)90291-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Jarry B., Rosset R. Further mapping of 5S RNA cistrons in Escherichia coli. Mol Gen Genet. 1973 Oct 16;126(1):29–35. doi: 10.1007/BF00333479. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Jarry B., Rosset R. Localization of some 5s RNA cistrons on Escherichia coli chromosome. Mol Gen Genet. 1973 Mar 1;121(2):151–162. doi: 10.1007/BF00277529. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kenerley M. E., Morgan E. A., Post L., Lindahl L., Nomura M. Characterization of hybrid plasmids carrying individual ribosomal ribonucleic acid transcription units of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1977 Dec;132(3):931–949. doi: 10.1128/jb.132.3.931-949.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kingsbury D. T., Helinski D. R. DNA polymerase as a requirement for the maintenance of the bacterial plasmid colicinogenic factor E1. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1970 Dec 24;41(6):1538–1544. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(70)90562-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Kiss A., Sain B., Venetianer P. The number of rRNA genes in Escherichia coli. FEBS Lett. 1977 Jul 1;79(1):77–79. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(77)80354-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Lindahl L., Jaskunas S. R., Dennis P. P., Nomura M. Cluster of genes in Escherichia coli for ribosomal proteins, ribosomal RNA, and RNA polymerase subunits. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Jul;72(7):2743–2747. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.7.2743. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Low B. Formation of merodiploids in matings with a class of Rec- recipient strains of Escherichia coli K12. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1968 May;60(1):160–167. doi: 10.1073/pnas.60.1.160. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Low K. B. Escherichia coli K-12 F-prime factors, old and new. Bacteriol Rev. 1972 Dec;36(4):587–607. doi: 10.1128/br.36.4.587-607.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Lund E., Dahlberg J. E., Lindahl L., Jaskunas S. R., Dennis P. P., Nomura M. Transfer RNA genes between 16S and 23S rRNA genes in rRNA transcription units of E. coli. Cell. 1976 Feb;7(2):165–177. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(76)90016-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. McCorkle G. M., Leathers T. D., Umbarger H. E. Physical organization of the ilvEDAC genes of Escherichia coli strain K-12. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Jan;75(1):89–93. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.1.89. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Morgan E. A., Ikemura T., Lindahl L., Fallon A. M., Nomura M. Some rRNA operons in E. coli have tRNA genes at their distal ends. Cell. 1978 Feb;13(2):335–344. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(78)90202-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Morgan E. A., Ikemura T., Nomura M. Identification of spacer tRNA genes in individual ribosomal RNA transcription units of Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Jul;74(7):2710–2714. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.7.2710. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Movva N. R., Katz E., Asdourian P. L., Hirota Y., Inouye M. Gene dosage effects of the structural gene for a lipoprotein of the Escherichia coli outer membrane. J Bacteriol. 1978 Jan;133(1):81–84. doi: 10.1128/jb.133.1.81-84.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Nomura M., Morgan E. A. Genetics of bacterial ribosomes. Annu Rev Genet. 1977;11:297–347. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.11.120177.001501. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Otsubo E., Deonier R. C., Lee H. J., Davidson N. Electron microscope heteroduplex studies of sequence relations among plasmids of Escherichia coli. IV. The F sequences in F14. J Mol Biol. 1974 Nov 15;89(4):565–584. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(74)90036-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. PITTARD J., RAMAKRISHNAN T. GENE TRANSFER BY F' STRAINS OF ESCHERICHIA COLI. IV. EFFECT OF A CHROMOSOMAL DELETION ON CHROMOSOME TRANSFER. J Bacteriol. 1964 Aug;88:367–373. doi: 10.1128/jb.88.2.367-373.1964. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Post L. E., Arfsten A. E., Reusser F., Nomura M. DNA sequences of promoter regions for the str and spc ribosomal protein operons in E. coli. Cell. 1978 Sep;15(1):215–229. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(78)90096-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Southern E. M. Detection of specific sequences among DNA fragments separated by gel electrophoresis. J Mol Biol. 1975 Nov 5;98(3):503–517. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(75)80083-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Vola C., Jarry B., Rosset R. Linkage of 5S RNA and 16S+23S RNA genes on the E. coli chromosome. Mol Gen Genet. 1977 Jun 24;153(3):337–341. doi: 10.1007/BF00431599. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Yamamoto M., Nomura M. Isolation of lambda transducing phages carrying rRNA genes at the metA-purD region of the Escherichia coli chromosome. FEBS Lett. 1976 Dec 31;72(2):256–261. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(76)80981-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Zurawski G., Brown K. D. Ribosomal RNA genes in the 56 minute region of the Escherichia coli chromosome. J Mol Biol. 1979 May 5;130(1):83–96. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(79)90553-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. de Boer H. A., Gilbert S. F., Nomura M. DNA sequences of promoter regions for rRNA operons rrnE and rrnA in E. coli. Cell. 1979 May;17(1):201–209. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(79)90308-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES