Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1982 Sep;151(3):1425–1432. doi: 10.1128/jb.151.3.1425-1432.1982

Control of RNA synthesis in Escherichia coli after a shift to higher temperature.

J Ryals, R Little, H Bremer
PMCID: PMC220424  PMID: 6179925

Abstract

Parameters of RNA synthesis were measured after a temperature upshift in a pair of Escherichia coli B/r strains that are isogenic except for having relA and relA+ loci, to examine the cause for a reported anomaly in the correlation between guanosine tetraphosphate (ppGpp) and stable RNA (rRNA, tRNA) synthesis under such conditions. Two main results were: (i) the specific stable RNA gene activity (stable RNA per total RNA synthesis) correlated in the conventionally expected fashion with the level of ppGpp but was obscured by a nonspecific increase in the RNA chain elongation rate due to the higher temperature; (ii) the temperature upshift caused a transient reduction in the RNA polymerase activity (transcribing per total enzyme) that accounts for the previously observed oscillating RNA synthesis rate after a temperature shift.

Full text

PDF
1428

Selected References

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

  1. Brunschede H., Dove T. L., Bremer H. Establishment of exponential growth after a nutritional shift-up in Escherichia coli B/r: accumulation of deoxyribonucleic acid, ribonucleic acid, and protein. J Bacteriol. 1977 Feb;129(2):1020–1033. doi: 10.1128/jb.129.2.1020-1033.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cashel M., Gallant J. Two compounds implicated in the function of the RC gene of Escherichia coli. Nature. 1969 Mar 1;221(5183):838–841. doi: 10.1038/221838a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chaloner-Larsson G., Yamazaki H. Adjustment of RNA content during temperature upshift in Escherichia coli. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1977 Jul 25;77(2):503–508. doi: 10.1016/s0006-291x(77)80008-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Churchward G., Bremer H., Young R. Transcription in bacteria at different DNA concentrations. J Bacteriol. 1982 May;150(2):572–581. doi: 10.1128/jb.150.2.572-581.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Donini P. Turnover of ribosomal RNA during the stringent response in Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1972 Dec 30;72(3):553–569. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(72)90174-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gallant J., Palmer L., Pao C. C. Anomalous synthesis of ppGpp in growing cells. Cell. 1977 May;11(1):181–185. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(77)90329-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hansen M. T., Pato M. L., Molin S., Fill N. P., von Meyenburg K. Simple downshift and resulting lack of correlation between ppGpp pool size and ribonucleic acid accumulation. J Bacteriol. 1975 May;122(2):585–591. doi: 10.1128/jb.122.2.585-591.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lazzarini R. A., Cashel M., Gallant J. On the regulation of guanosine tetraphosphate levels in stringent and relaxed strains of Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem. 1971 Jul 25;246(14):4381–4385. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lemaux P. G., Herendeen S. L., Bloch P. L., Neidhardt F. C. Transient rates of synthesis of individual polypeptides in E. coli following temperature shifts. Cell. 1978 Mar;13(3):427–434. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(78)90317-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Pao C. C., Dyess B. T. Stringent control of RNA synthesis in the absence of guanosine 5'-diphosphate-3'-diphosphate. J Biol Chem. 1981 Mar 10;256(5):2252–2257. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Ramabhadran T. V., Jagger J. Mechanism of growth delay induced in Escherichia coli by near ultraviolet radiation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Jan;73(1):59–63. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.1.59. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Ryals J., Bremer H. relA-dependent RNA polymerase activity in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1982 Apr;150(1):168–179. doi: 10.1128/jb.150.1.168-179.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Ryals J., Little R., Bremer H. Temperature dependence of RNA synthesis parameters in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1982 Aug;151(2):879–887. doi: 10.1128/jb.151.2.879-887.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. SCHAECHTER M., MAALOE O., KJELDGAARD N. O. Dependency on medium and temperature of cell size and chemical composition during balanced grown of Salmonella typhimurium. J Gen Microbiol. 1958 Dec;19(3):592–606. doi: 10.1099/00221287-19-3-592. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. STENT G. S., BRENNER S. A genetic locus for the regulation of ribonucleic acid synthesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1961 Dec 15;47:2005–2014. doi: 10.1073/pnas.47.12.2005. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Shen V., Bremer H. Rate of ribosomal ribonucleic acid chain elongation in Escherichia coli B/r during chloramphenicol treatment. J Bacteriol. 1977 Jun;130(3):1109–1116. doi: 10.1128/jb.130.3.1109-1116.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Shepherd N. S., Churchward G., Bremer H. Synthesis and activity of ribonucleic acid polymerase in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1980 Mar;141(3):1098–1108. doi: 10.1128/jb.141.3.1098-1108.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Spadaro A., Spena A., Santonastaso V., Conini P. Stringency without ppGpp accumulation. Nature. 1981 May 21;291(5812):256–258. doi: 10.1038/291256a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Travers A. Modulation of RNA polymerase specificity by ppGpp. Mol Gen Genet. 1976 Aug 19;147(2):225–232. doi: 10.1007/BF00267575. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Yamamori T., Ito K., Nakamura Y., Yura T. Transient regulation of protein synthesis in Escherichia coli upon shift-up of growth temperature. J Bacteriol. 1978 Jun;134(3):1133–1140. doi: 10.1128/jb.134.3.1133-1140.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Yamamori T., Yura T. Temperature-induced synthesis of specific proteins in Escherichia coli: evidence for transcriptional control. J Bacteriol. 1980 Jun;142(3):843–851. doi: 10.1128/jb.142.3.843-851.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. van Ooyen A. J., Gruber M., Jorgensen P. The mechanism of action of ppGpp on rRNA synthesis in vitro. Cell. 1976 May;8(1):123–128. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(76)90193-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES