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
. 1977 Dec;74(12):5416–5420. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.12.5416

Regulation of synthesis and activity of a mutant RNA polymerase in Escherichia coli.

P P Dennis
PMCID: PMC431744  PMID: 341156

Abstract

The expression of the genes specifying the beta and beta' subunits of RNA polymerase (nucleosidetriphosphate: RNA nucleotidyltransferase, EC 2.7.7.6) was examined in an Escherichia coli strain bearing a temperature-sensitive mutation in the beta' subunit gene. A shift to 42 degrees results in a restriction of RNA chain initiation and a cessation of RNA synthesis. A shift to 39 degrees results in only partial restriction, allowing RNA and protein synthesis to continue. The partial restriction produces a 5- to 6-fold increase in the relative transcription rate of the beta and beta' genes and a concomitant increase in the relative synthesis rate of the beta and beta' proteins. The transcription rate of ribosomal protein genes was also increased somewhat. These results indicate that the genes specifying the beta and beta' subunits of RNA polymerase are regulated at the level of transcription and that this regulation is related to the transcription of ribosomal protein genes. Furthermore, the results indicate that this regulation of the beta and beta' RNA polymerase subunit genes is somehow triggered by a reduction in the ability of RNA polymerase to initiate transcription on the bacterial chromosome.

Full text

PDF
5416

Images in this article

Selected References

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

  1. Bachmann B. J., Low K. B., Taylor A. L. Recalibrated linkage map of Escherichia coli K-12. Bacteriol Rev. 1976 Mar;40(1):116–167. doi: 10.1128/br.40.1.116-167.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Belin D., Epstein R. H. A temperature-sensitive rIIB mutation which affects the synthesis of bacteriophage T4 rIIB protein. Virology. 1977 May 15;78(2):537–553. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(77)90129-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dennis P. P. Influence of the stringent control system on the transcription of ribosomal ribonucleic acid and ribosomal protein genes in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1977 Feb;129(2):580–588. doi: 10.1128/jb.129.2.580-588.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dennis P. P., Nomura M. Regulation of the expression of ribosomal protein genes in Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1975 Sep 5;97(1):61–76. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(75)80022-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dennis P. P., Nomura M. Stringent control of ribosomal protein gene expression in Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1974 Oct;71(10):3819–3823. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.10.3819. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dennis P. P., Nordan D. H. Characterization of the hybridization between purified 16S and 23S ribosomal ribonucleic acid and ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid from Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1976 Oct;128(1):28–34. doi: 10.1128/jb.128.1.28-34.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dennis P. P. Transcription patterns of adjacent segments on the chromosome of Escherichia coli containing genes coding for four 50S ribosomal proteins and the beta and beta' subunits of RNA polymerase. J Mol Biol. 1977 Oct 5;115(4):603–625. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(77)90105-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gross G., Fields D. A., Bautz E. K. Characterization of a ts beta' mutant RNA polymerase of Escherichia coli. Mol Gen Genet. 1976 Sep 23;147(3):337–341. doi: 10.1007/BF00582886. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Jaskunas S. R., Burgess R. R., Nomura M. Identification of a gene for the alpha-subunit of RNA polymerase at the str-spc region of the Escherichia coli chromosome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Dec;72(12):5036–5040. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.12.5036. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kirschbaum J. B., Claeys I. V., Nasi S., Molholt B., Miller J. H. Temperature-sensitive RNA polymerase mutants with altered subunit synthesis and degradation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Jun;72(6):2375–2379. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.6.2375. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Laemmli U. K. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680–685. doi: 10.1038/227680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lindahl L., Jaskunas S. R., Dennis P. P., Nomura M. Cluster of genes in Escherichia coli for ribosomal proteins, ribosomal RNA, and RNA polymerase subunits. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Jul;72(7):2743–2747. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.7.2743. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Maher D. L., Dennis P. P. In vivo transcription of E. coli genes coding for rRNA, ribosomal proteins and subunits of RNA polymerase: influence of the stringent control system. Mol Gen Genet. 1977 Oct 20;155(2):203–211. doi: 10.1007/BF00393161. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Nomura M. Organization of bacterial genes for ribosomal components: studies using novel approaches. Cell. 1976 Dec;9(4 Pt 2):633–644. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(76)90127-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Watson R. J., Parker J., Fiil N. P., Flaks J. G., Friesen J. D. New chromosomal location for structural genes of ribosomal proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Jul;72(7):2765–2769. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.7.2765. [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