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. 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.

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Selected References

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