Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1970 Jun;102(3):740–746. doi: 10.1128/jb.102.3.740-746.1970

Regulation of Ribonucleic Acid Synthesis in Escherichia coli During Diauxie Lag: Accumulation of Heterogeneous Ribonucleic Acid

Lewis A Jacobson 1
PMCID: PMC247621  PMID: 4914078

Abstract

The synthesis of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and of protein in Escherichia coli during glucose-lactose diauxie lag have been examined. The rate of RNA synthesis is about 7%, of the corresponding rate during exponential growth and the rate of protein synthesis 10 to 15%. Inhibition of RNA synthesis occurs to the same extent in both rel and rel+ strains. The RNA which accumulates during 20 min in diauxie lag is composed of about 50% ribosomal and transfer RNA species and about 50% of a fraction which resembles messenger RNA (mRNA) in its heterogeneous sedimentation properties. Decay of the heterogeneous fraction occurs in the presence of glucose and actinomycin D with a half-life of 3 min, the same as that of pulse-labeled mRNA; however, during the diauxie lag, the half-life of this RNA is about 25 min. Accumulation of the heterogeneous RNA is further increased when protein synthesis is blocked by chloramphenicol. The data suggest that the disproportionate accumulation of mRNA during diauxie lag and energy source shift-down may be attributed at least in part to increased stability of mRNA, but do not rule out a preferential synthesis of mRNA.

Full text

PDF
740

Selected References

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

  1. BOLLUM F. J. Thermal conversion of nonpriming deoxyribonucleic acid to primer. J Biol Chem. 1959 Oct;234:2733–2734. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Edlin G., Broda P. Physiology and genetics of the "ribonucleic acid control" locus in escherichia coli. Bacteriol Rev. 1968 Sep;32(3):206–226. doi: 10.1128/br.32.3.206-226.1968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. FAN D. P., HIGA A., LEVINTHAL C. MESSENGER RNA DECAY AND PROTECTION. J Mol Biol. 1964 Feb;8:210–222. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(64)80130-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. FRAENKEL D. G., NEIDHARDT F. C. Use of chloramphenicol to study control of RNA synthesis in bacteria. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1961 Oct 14;53:96–110. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(61)90797-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Friesen J. D. Control of messenger RNA synthesis and decay in Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1966 Oct;20(3):559–573. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(66)90011-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gunsalus I. C., Bertland A. U., 2nd, Jacobson L. A. Enzyme induction and repression in anabolic and catabolic pathways. Arch Mikrobiol. 1967;59(1):113–122. doi: 10.1007/BF00406322. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. HARTWELL L. H., MAGASANIK B. THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF HISTIDASE INDUCTION IN BACILLUS SUBTILIS. J Mol Biol. 1963 Oct;7:401–420. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(63)80033-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kuwano M., Kwan C. N., Apirion D., Schlessinger D. Ribonuclease V of escherichia coli. I. Dependence on ribosomes and translocation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1969 Oct;64(2):693–700. doi: 10.1073/pnas.64.2.693. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. MONIER R., NAONO S., HAYES D., HAYES F., GROS F. Studies on the heterogeneity of messenger RNA from E. Coli. J Mol Biol. 1962 Sep;5:311–324. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(62)80075-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Morris D. W., Kjeldgaard N. O. Evidence for the non-co-ordinate regulation of ribonucleic acid synthesis in stringent strains of Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1968 Jan 14;31(1):145–148. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(68)90064-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. NAKADA D., MAGASANIK B. THE ROLES OF INDUCER AND CATABOLITE REPRESSOR IN THE SYNTHESIS OF BETA-GALACTOSIDASE BY ESCHERICHIA COLI. J Mol Biol. 1964 Jan;8:105–127. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(64)80153-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. NEIDHARDT F. C. Properties of a bacterial mutant lacking amino acid control of RNA synthesis. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1963 Mar 26;68:365–379. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(63)90158-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Samis H. V., Jr A simple density gradient generator. Anal Biochem. 1966 May;15(2):355–357. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(66)90043-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Sarkar S., Moldave K. Characterization of the ribonucleic acid synthesized during amino acid-deprivation of a stringent auxotroph of Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1968 Apr 14;33(1):213–224. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(68)90289-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES