Open AccessProcessing pathway ofEscherichia coli16S precursor rRNA
Author(s) -
Anand Srivastava,
David Schlessinger
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
nucleic acids research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 9.008
H-Index - 537
eISSN - 1362-4954
pISSN - 0305-1048
DOI - 10.1093/nar/17.4.1649
Subject(s) - biology , rnase p , 16s ribosomal rna , ribosomal rna , cleavage (geology) , escherichia coli , strain (injury) , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , bacteria , genetics , rna , gene , anatomy , paleontology , fracture (geology)
Immediate precursors of 16S rRNA are processed by endonucleolytic cleavage at both 5' and 3' mature termini, with the concomitant release of precursor fragments which are further metabolized by both exo- and endonucleases. In wild-type cells rapid cleavages by RNase III in precursor-specific sequences precede the subsequent formation of the mature ends; mature termini can, however, be formed directly from pre-16S rRNA with no intermediate species. The direct maturation is most evident in a strain deficient in RNase III, and the results in whole cells are consistent with results from maturation reactions in vitro. Thus, maturation does not require cleavages within the double-stranded stems that enclose mature rRNA sequences in the pre-16S rRNA.