Post-transcriptional control in Escherichia coli: translation and degradation of the atp operon mRNA

• Published in: Gene Vol. 72; no. 1; pp. 131 - 139
• Main Authors: McCarthy, John E.G., Schauder, Birgit, Ziemke, Peter
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 10.12.1988; Amsterdam Elsevier; New York, NY
• Subjects: atp genes; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Northern; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli - enzymology; Escherichia coli - genetics; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes; Genes, Bacterial; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; mRNA secondary structure; mRNA stability; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Operon; Peptide Chain Initiation, Translational; phage λ promoters; Protein Biosynthesis; Proton-Translocating ATPases - genetics; Recombinant DNA; RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNases; Shine-Dalgamo sequence; transcriptional termination; Translation. Translation factors. Protein processing; translational initiation and elongation; translational initiation region; p L and p R; translational initiation region; nt; Shine-Dalgamo sequence; phage λ promoters; Recombinant DNA; mRNA secondary structure; bp; SD; translational initiation and elongation; Δ; PNPase; F 0; RNases; transcriptional termination; atp; REP; TIR; atp genes; wt; mRNA stability; Translation; Operon; Escherichia coli; Translation initiation; Primary structure; Gene expression; Secondary structure; Degradation; Northern blotting; Regulation(control); Messenger RNA; Structure activity relation; Turnover; Bacteria; Multigene family; Escherichieae; Enterobacteriaceae
• ISSN: 0378-1119; 1879-0038
• DOI: 10.1016/0378-1119(88)90135-7

An attractive subject for investigations of post-transcriptional control is the atp operon, whose nine genes are differentially expressed. The primary mode of control of atp gene expression is exercised at the translational level. It has been clearly demonstrated for almost all of the atp genes that the primary and secondary structures of their respective translational initiation regions direct translational initiation rates that correspond well to the requirements for these subunits in the cell. The relationship between the structure of the translational initiation region, including bases upstream from the Shine-Dalgamo region and downstream from the start codon, and the rates of initiation that it determines, has been investigated in more detail using various polycistronic and monocistronic systems. No evidence could be found for a role of codon usage bias in controlling overall translation rates. The functional half-lives of atpE and of the other six cistrons downstream from it are similar. The chemical stabilities of the first two cistrons of the polycistronic atp mRNA may, however, be lower, and we are investigating the possibility that there may also be control of atp gene expression exercised at the level of mRNA stability. The effects of manipulations of the intercistronic regions of at least the plasmid borne atp operon are consistent with a model of mRNA decay in which rate control is associated with endonucleolytic cleavages within individual cistrons. The experimental data are discussed in relation to the possible ways in which primary and secondary structures of the mRNA might control translational efficiency and stability.