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Endoribonuclease RNase III is essential in Bacillus subtilis
Author(s) -
Herskovitz Michelle A.,
Bechhofer David H.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2958.2000.02185.x
Subject(s) - rnase p , biology , bacillus subtilis , endoribonuclease , rna , microbiology and biotechnology , rnase mrp , plasmid , gene , genetics , bacteria
The rncS gene of Bacillus subtilis encodes Bs‐RNase III, a narrow‐specificity endoribonuclease. Previous attempts to disrupt rncS were unsuccessful. Here, a strain was constructed in which Bs‐RNase III expression was dependent upon transcription of rncS from a temperature‐sensitive plasmid. Growth of this strain at the non‐permissive temperature resulted in 90–95% cell death, and virtually all the cells that survived retained the rncS ‐expressing plasmid. Thus, we conclude that rncS is essential in B. subtilis . The rncS conditional strain also revealed that Bs‐RNase III participates in the processing of ribosomal RNA, in addition to processing small cytoplasmic RNA, a member of the signal recognition particle RNA family. Most significantly, a rare rncS null strain was isolated that will aid further study of the critical role Bs‐RNase III plays in B. subtilis .