Skip to main content
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1985 Feb;82(4):1069–1073. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.4.1069

Feedback regulation of rRNA and tRNA synthesis and accumulation of free ribosomes after conditional expression of rRNA genes.

R L Gourse, Y Takebe, R A Sharrock, M Nomura
PMCID: PMC397195  PMID: 3156375

Abstract

We have constructed a conditional rRNA gene expression system by fusing a plasmid-encoded rrnB operon to the lambda PL promoter/operator. It was thereby possible to study the events that lead to the regulation of chromosomal rRNA and tRNA synthesis after overproduction of rRNA. rRNA induction resulted in a 2-fold increase in 30S and 50S free ribosomal subunits, whereas the polysome fraction was unaffected. Overproduction of rRNA and "free" ribosomes produced a large repression of rRNA and tRNA synthesis from chromosomal genes and a smaller increase in the concentration of guanosine tetraphosphate. These results lend support to the ribosome feedback regulation model: rRNA and tRNA operons are negatively regulated, either directly or through some intermediate, by free, nontranslating ribosomes.

Full text

PDF
1069

Selected References

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

  1. Bochner B. R., Ames B. N. Complete analysis of cellular nucleotides by two-dimensional thin layer chromatography. J Biol Chem. 1982 Aug 25;257(16):9759–9769. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Brosius J., Dull T. J., Sleeter D. D., Noller H. F. Gene organization and primary structure of a ribosomal RNA operon from Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1981 May 15;148(2):107–127. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(81)90508-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Ellwood M., Nomura M. Chromosomal locations of the genes for rRNA in Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol. 1982 Feb;149(2):458–468. doi: 10.1128/jb.149.2.458-468.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gourse R. L., Nomura M. Level of rRNA, not tRNA, synthesis controls transcription of rRNA and tRNA operons in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1984 Dec;160(3):1022–1026. doi: 10.1128/jb.160.3.1022-1026.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Gourse R. L., Stark M. J., Dahlberg A. E. Site-directed mutagenesis of ribosomal RNA. Construction and characterization of deletion mutants. J Mol Biol. 1982 Aug 15;159(3):397–416. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(82)90291-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Ikemura T., Nomura M. Expression of spacer tRNA genes in ribosomal RNA transcription units carried by hybrid Col E1 plasmids in E. coli. Cell. 1977 Aug;11(4):779–793. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(77)90291-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Jinks-Robertson S., Gourse R. L., Nomura M. Expression of rRNA and tRNA genes in Escherichia coli: evidence for feedback regulation by products of rRNA operons. Cell. 1983 Jul;33(3):865–876. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90029-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. 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]
  9. Lindahl L., Forchhammer J. Evidence for reduced breakdown of messenger RNA during blocked transcription or translation in Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1969 Aug 14;43(3):593–606. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(69)90361-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Maxam A. M., Gilbert W. Sequencing end-labeled DNA with base-specific chemical cleavages. Methods Enzymol. 1980;65(1):499–560. doi: 10.1016/s0076-6879(80)65059-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Neidhardt F. C., Bloch P. L., Smith D. F. Culture medium for enterobacteria. J Bacteriol. 1974 Sep;119(3):736–747. doi: 10.1128/jb.119.3.736-747.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Nierlich D. P. Regulation of bacterial growth, RNA, and protein synthesis. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1978;32:393–432. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.32.100178.002141. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Nomura M., Gourse R., Baughman G. Regulation of the synthesis of ribosomes and ribosomal components. Annu Rev Biochem. 1984;53:75–117. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.53.070184.000451. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Olson E. R., Flamm E. L., Friedman D. I. Analysis of nutR: a region of phage lambda required for antitermination of transcription. Cell. 1982 Nov;31(1):61–70. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90405-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Remaut E., Stanssens P., Fiers W. Plasmid vectors for high-efficiency expression controlled by the PL promoter of coliphage lambda. Gene. 1981 Oct;15(1):81–93. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(81)90106-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ryals J., Little R., Bremer H. Control of RNA synthesis in Escherichia coli after a shift to higher temperature. J Bacteriol. 1982 Sep;151(3):1425–1432. doi: 10.1128/jb.151.3.1425-1432.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Ryals J., Little R., Bremer H. Control of rRNA and tRNA syntheses in Escherichia coli by guanosine tetraphosphate. J Bacteriol. 1982 Sep;151(3):1261–1268. doi: 10.1128/jb.151.3.1261-1268.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Simatake H., Rosenberg M. Purified lambda regulatory protein cII positively activates promoters for lysogenic development. Nature. 1981 Jul 9;292(5819):128–132. doi: 10.1038/292128a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Young R. A., Steitz J. A. Complementary sequences 1700 nucleotides apart form a ribonuclease III cleavage site in Escherichia coli ribosomal precursor RNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Aug;75(8):3593–3597. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.8.3593. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES