Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1983 Nov;156(2):529–536. doi: 10.1128/jb.156.2.529-536.1983

A gene affecting accumulation of the RNA moiety of the processing enzyme RNase P.

G Dallmann, T Quinn, D Apirion
PMCID: PMC217864  PMID: 6195144

Abstract

The level of 10Sb (M1) RNA, the RNA of RNase P, is very low in growing cultures of rnpB mutants. Northern transfer experiments suggested that these strains accumulate no more than 10% of the wild-type level of 10Sb RNA. However, there is no indication that there is a limiting amount of RNase P activity in these mutants in vivo. A plasmid that directs the synthesis of 10Sb RNA does not complement the rnpB mutants, even though there is only a single gene for 10Sb RNA in the Escherichia coli genome. The 10Sb RNA synthesized from this plasmid is equivalent to wild-type 10Sb RNA since it can replace it in the reconstitution of RNase P. The 10Sb RNA, which is a rather stable molecule, is unstable in the presence of the rnpB mutation. This could explain why rnpB mutants do not accumulate 10Sb RNA. An F' plasmid that contains DNA from the rnpB region of the chromosome complements an rnpB mutant in vivo and in vitro, and it also contains the 10Sb RNA gene. A number of possible explanations for these phenomena are discussed.

Full text

PDF
529

Images in this article

530Image
on p.530
531Image
on p.531
532Image
on p.532
532Image
on p.532
533Image
on p.533
534Image
on p.534
534Image
on p.534

Selected References

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

  1. Alwine J. C., Kemp D. J., Stark G. R. Method for detection of specific RNAs in agarose gels by transfer to diazobenzyloxymethyl-paper and hybridization with DNA probes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Dec;74(12):5350–5354. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.12.5350. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Apirion D. Genetic mapping and some characterization of the rnpA49 mutation of Escherichia coli that affects the RNA-processing enzyme ribonuclease P. Genetics. 1980 Feb;94(2):291–299. doi: 10.1093/genetics/94.2.291. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Apirion D., Watson N. A second gene which affects the RNA processing enzyme ribonuclease P of Escherichia coli. FEBS Lett. 1980 Feb 11;110(2):161–163. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(80)80062-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bailey S. C., Apirion D. Repetitive DNA in Escherichia coli: multiple sequences complementary to small stable RNAs. Mol Gen Genet. 1979;172(3):339–343. doi: 10.1007/BF00271734. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cohen S. N., Chang A. C., Hsu L. Nonchromosomal antibiotic resistance in bacteria: genetic transformation of Escherichia coli by R-factor DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Aug;69(8):2110–2114. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.8.2110. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. El-Gewely M. R., Helling R. B. Preparative separation of DNA--ethidium bromide complexes by zonal density gradient centrifugation. Anal Biochem. 1980 Mar 1;102(2):423–428. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(80)90177-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gardiner K., Pace N. R. RNase P of Bacillus subtilis has a RNA component. J Biol Chem. 1980 Aug 25;255(16):7507–7509. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gegenheimer P., Apirion D. Processing of rRNA by RNAase P: spacer tRNAs are linked to 16S rRNA in an RNAase P RNAase III mutant strain of E. coli. Cell. 1978 Oct;15(2):527–539. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(78)90021-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gegenheimer P., Watson N., Apirion D. Multiple pathways for primary processing of ribosomal RNA in Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem. 1977 May 10;252(9):3064–3073. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Gurevitz M., Jain S. K., Apirion D. Identification of a precursor molecular for the RNA moiety of the processing enzyme RNase P. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Jul;80(14):4450–4454. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.14.4450. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Guthrie C. The nucleotide sequence of the dimeric precursor to glutamine and leucine transfer RNAs coded by bacteriophage T4. J Mol Biol. 1975 Jul 15;95(4):529–547. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(75)90315-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Hassur S. M., Whitlock H. W., Jr UV shadowing--a new and convenient method for the location of ultraviolet-absorbing species in polyacrylamide gels. Anal Biochem. 1974 May;59(1):162–164. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(74)90020-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Jain S. K., Gurevitz M., Apirion D. A small RNA that complements mutants in the RNA processing enzyme ribonuclease P. J Mol Biol. 1982 Dec 15;162(3):515–533. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(82)90386-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Jain S. K., Pragai B., Apirion D. A possible complex containing RNA processing enzymes. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1982 Jun 15;106(3):768–778. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(82)91777-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kole R., Altman S. Properties of purified ribonuclease P from Escherichia coli. Biochemistry. 1981 Mar 31;20(7):1902–1906. doi: 10.1021/bi00510a028. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kole R., Altman S. Reconstitution of RNase P activity from inactive RNA and protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Aug;76(8):3795–3799. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.8.3795. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Kole R., Baer M. F., Stark B. C., Altman S. E. coli RNAase P has a required RNA component. Cell. 1980 Apr;19(4):881–887. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(80)90079-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Laemmli U. K. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680–685. doi: 10.1038/227680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Lee S. Y., Bailey S. C., Apirion D. Small stable RNAs from Escherichia coli: evidence for the existence of new molecules and for a new ribonucleoprotein particle containing 6S RNA. J Bacteriol. 1978 Feb;133(2):1015–1023. doi: 10.1128/jb.133.2.1015-1023.1978. [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. Misra T. K., Apirion D. RNase E, an RNA processing enzyme from Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem. 1979 Nov 10;254(21):11154–11159. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Motamedi H., Lee K., Nichols L., Schmidt F. J. An RNA species involved in Escherichia coli ribonuclease P activity. Gene cloning and effect on transfer RnA synthesis in vivo. J Mol Biol. 1982 Dec 15;162(3):535–550. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(82)90387-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Murray K., Murray N. E. Phage lambda receptor chromosomes for DNA fragments made with restriction endonuclease III of Haemophilus influenzae and restriction endonuclease I of Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1975 Nov 5;98(3):551–564. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(75)80086-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Pragai B., Apirion D. Processing of bacteriophage T4 transfer RNAs. Structural analysis and in vitro processing of precursors that accumulate in RNase E-strains. J Mol Biol. 1982 Jan 25;154(3):465–484. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(82)80007-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Reed R. E., Baer M. F., Guerrier-Takada C., Donis-Keller H., Altman S. Nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding the RNA subunit (M1 RNA) of ribonuclease P from Escherichia coli. Cell. 1982 Sep;30(2):627–636. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90259-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Rigby P. W., Dieckmann M., Rhodes C., Berg P. Labeling deoxyribonucleic acid to high specific activity in vitro by nick translation with DNA polymerase I. J Mol Biol. 1977 Jun 15;113(1):237–251. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(77)90052-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Robertson H. D., Altman S., Smith J. D. Purification and properties of a specific Escherichia coli ribonuclease which cleaves a tyrosine transfer ribonucleic acid presursor. J Biol Chem. 1972 Aug 25;247(16):5243–5251. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Sakano H., Yamada S., Ikemura T., Shimura Y., Ozeki H. Temperature sensitive mutants of Escherichia coli for tRNA synthesis. Nucleic Acids Res. 1974 Mar;1(3):355–371. doi: 10.1093/nar/1.3.355. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Schedl P., Primakoff P. Mutants of Escherichia coli thermosensitive for the synthesis of transfer RNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1973 Jul;70(7):2091–2095. doi: 10.1073/pnas.70.7.2091. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Sharp P. A., Sugden B., Sambrook J. Detection of two restriction endonuclease activities in Haemophilus parainfluenzae using analytical agarose--ethidium bromide electrophoresis. Biochemistry. 1973 Jul 31;12(16):3055–3063. doi: 10.1021/bi00740a018. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. 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]
  32. Thomas P. S. Hybridization of denatured RNA and small DNA fragments transferred to nitrocellulose. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Sep;77(9):5201–5205. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.9.5201. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Thuring R. W., Sanders J. P., Borst P. A freeze-squeeze method for recovering long DNA from agarose gels. Anal Biochem. 1975 May 26;66(1):213–220. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(75)90739-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Wilson J. H., Abelson J. N. Bacteriophage T4 transfer RNA. II. Mutants of T4 defective in the formation of functional suppressor transfer RNA. J Mol Biol. 1972 Aug 14;69(1):57–73. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(72)90023-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Wilson J. H., Kim J. S., Abelson J. N. Bacteriophage T4 transfer RNA. 3. Clustering of the genes for the T4 transfer RNA's. J Mol Biol. 1972 Nov 28;71(3):547–556. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(72)80022-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES