Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1977 Jun;130(3):1109–1116. doi: 10.1128/jb.130.3.1109-1116.1977

Rate of ribosomal ribonucleic acid chain elongation in Escherichia coli B/r during chloramphenicol treatment.

V Shen, H Bremer
PMCID: PMC235333  PMID: 324975

Abstract

In Escherichia coli B/r growing in glucose-amino acids medium, the radioactive labeling of 5S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) and transfer RNA (tRNA) was measured after the simultaneous addition to the bacteria of chloramphenicol (CAM) (100 mug/ml), rifampin (200 mug/ml), and radioactive uracil. Accumulation of 5S rRNA ceased 85 s after the addition of rifampin, independent of the presence or absence of CAM; this indicates that CAM did not affect the rRNA chain growth rate. Together with previous measurements of the synthesis of rRNA and messenger RNA under these conditions, the results imply that CAM caused a redistribution of RNA polymerase which greatly favored stable RNA synthesis (77 to 97% of total functioning RNA polymerase engaged in synthesis of rRNA and tRNA). Further, it is inferred that RNA polymerase molecules were activated that were inactive during exponential growth. The labeling of tRNA observed under these conditions suggests the existence of clusters of tRNA genes at the 3' end of long transcripts that resemble the rRNA precursor in length and response to CAM and may be parts of rRNA transcripts.

Full text

PDF
1109

Selected References

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

  1. Bremer H., Hymes J., Dennis P. P. Ribosomal RNA chain growth rate and RNA labeling patterns in Escherichia coli B-r. J Theor Biol. 1974 Jun;45(2):379–403. doi: 10.1016/0022-5193(74)90120-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bremer H., Yuan D. RNA chain growth-rate in Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1968 Dec 14;38(2):163–180. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(68)90404-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dalbow D. G. Synthesis of RNA polymerase in Escherichia coli B-r growing at different rates. J Mol Biol. 1973 Mar 25;75(1):181–184. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(73)90537-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dennis P. P., Bremer H. A method for determination of the synthesis rate of stable and unstable ribonucleic acid in Escherichia coli. Anal Biochem. 1973 Dec;56(2):489–501. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(73)90216-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dennis P. P., Bremer H. Macromolecular composition during steady-state growth of Escherichia coli B-r. J Bacteriol. 1974 Jul;119(1):270–281. doi: 10.1128/jb.119.1.270-281.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dennis P. P., Bremer H. Regulation of ribonucleic acid synthesis in Escherichia coli B-r: an analysis of a shift-up. 1. Ribosomal RNA chain growth rates. J Mol Biol. 1973 Mar 25;75(1):145–159. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(73)90535-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dubin D. T., Elkort A. T. A direct demonstration of the metabolic turnover of chloramphenicol RNA. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1965 Jun 8;103(2):355–358. doi: 10.1016/0005-2787(65)90180-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Ginsburg D., Steitz J. A. The 30 S ribosomal precursor RNA from Escherichia coli. A primary transcript containing 23 S, 16 S, and 5 S sequences. J Biol Chem. 1975 Jul 25;250(14):5647–5654. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hayes F., Vasseur M., Nikolaev N., Schlessinger D., Sri Widada J., Krol A., Branlant C. Structure of a 30 S pre-ribosomal RNA of E. coli. FEBS Lett. 1975 Aug 1;56(1):85–91. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(75)80117-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. KURLAND C. G., MAALOE O. Regulation of ribosomal and transfer RNA synthesis. J Mol Biol. 1962 Mar;4:193–210. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(62)80051-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lazzarini R. A., Santangelo E. Effect of chloramphenicol on the synthesis and stability of ribonucleic acid in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1968 Apr;95(4):1212–1220. doi: 10.1128/jb.95.4.1212-1220.1968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. 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]
  13. Manor H., Goodman D., Stent G. S. RNA chain growth rates in Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1969 Jan 14;39(1):1–29. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(69)90329-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Matzura H., Hansen B. S., Zeuthen J. Biosynthesis of the beta and beta' subunits of RNA polymerase in Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1973 Feb 15;74(1):9–20. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(73)90350-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Midgley J. E., Gray W. J. The control of ribonucleic acid synthesis in bacteria. The synthesis and stability of ribonucleic acid in chloramphenicol-inhibited cultures of Escherichia coli. Biochem J. 1971 Apr;122(2):149–159. doi: 10.1042/bj1220149. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. NEIDHARDT F. C., GROS F. Metabolic instability of the ribonucleic acid synthesized by Escherichia coli in the presence of chloromycetin. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1957 Sep;25(3):513–520. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(57)90521-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Nierlich D. P. Regulation of ribonucleic acid synthesis in growing bacterial cells. II. Control over the composition of the newly made RNA. J Mol Biol. 1972 Dec 30;72(3):765–777. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(72)90190-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Nikolaev N., Schlessinger D., Wellauer P. K. 30 S pre-ribosomal RNA of Escherichia coli and products of cleavage by ribonuclease III: length and molecular weight. J Mol Biol. 1974 Jul 15;86(4):741–747. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(74)90350-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Peacock A. C., Dingman C. W. Resolution of multiple ribonucleic acid species by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Biochemistry. 1967 Jun;6(6):1818–1827. doi: 10.1021/bi00858a033. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Pongs O., Ulbrich N. Specific binding of formylated initiator-tRNA to Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Sep;73(9):3064–3067. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.9.3064. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Shen V., Bremer H. Chloramphenicol-induced changes in the synthesis of ribosomal, transfer, and messenger ribonucleic acids in Escherichia coli B/r. J Bacteriol. 1977 Jun;130(3):1098–1108. doi: 10.1128/jb.130.3.1098-1108.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. 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]
  23. Travers A. RNA polymerase specificity and the control of growth. Nature. 1976 Oct 21;263(5579):641–646. doi: 10.1038/263641a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Wu M., Davidson N. Use of gene 32 protein staining of single-strand polynucleotides for gene mapping by electron microscopy: application to the phi80d3ilvsu+7 system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Nov;72(11):4506–4510. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.11.4506. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Yuan D., Shen V. Stability of ribosomal and transfer ribonucleic acid in Escherichia coli B/r after treatment with ethylenedinitrilotetraacetic acid and rifampicin. J Bacteriol. 1975 May;122(2):425–432. doi: 10.1128/jb.122.2.425-432.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. 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