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Effects of deletions in the spacer region of the rrnB operon on the transcription of the large ribosomal RNAs from Escherichia coli
Author(s) -
Szymkowiak C.,
Wagner R.
Publication year - 1987
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 - 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1987.tb01939.x
Subject(s) - biology , operon , ribosomal rna , antitermination , transcription (linguistics) , 23s ribosomal rna , plasmid , genetics , 5s ribosomal rna , gene , rna , spacer dna , microbiology and biotechnology , internal transcribed spacer , 18s ribosomal rna , ribosome , escherichia coli , linguistics , philosophy
Summary A series of deletions was constructed within the spacer region of the genes for the 16S and 23S RNA on plasmids bearing the rrnB operon. The accumulation and synthesis rates for the 16S and 23S RNAs were determined from normal growing cells and maxicells after transformation with the mutated plasmids. A marked difference In the transcription efficiency of the plasmid‐encoded ribosomal 16S and 23S RNAs was observed with cells carrying plasmids, where a sequence motif analogous to the antitermination recognition sequence (Box A) had been deleted. The overall synthesis rate of ribosomal RNAs of such cells was not altered, however, indicating that the difference in transcription rates from the plasmid genes is compensated by altered transcription rates of the corresponding chromosomal genes. In addition, the accumulation of various tRNA species encoded on rRNA operons and non rRNA operons was quantitated and compared. From these results we infer that the regulation of ribosomal RNA transcription does not only occur at the promoter sites but sequence regions possibly involved in antitermination within the operon are crucial for a coordinated synthesis of all ribosomal RNAs.