RNase E-based degradosome modulates polyadenylation of mRNAs after Rho-independent transcription terminators in Escherichia coli.

Here we demonstrate that the RNase E-based degradosome is required for poly(A) polymerase I (PAP I)-dependent polyadenylation after Rho-independent transcription terminators for both mono- and polycistronic transcripts. Disruption of degradosome assembly in mutants lacking the polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase) binding domain led to a significant increase in the level of PNPase synthesized polynucleotide tails in the rpsJ and rpsM polycistronic transcripts and the lpp monocistronic transcript. The polynucleotide tails were mostly located within the coding sequences in the degradosome mutants compared to the wild type control where the majority of the PAP I synthesized poly(A) tails were after the Rho-independent transcription terminators.

Polyadenylation helps regulate functional tRNA levels in Escherichia coli.

Here we demonstrate a new regulatory mechanism for tRNA processing in Escherichia coli whereby RNase T and RNase PH, the two primary 3' → 5' exonucleases involved in the final step of 3'-end maturation, compete with poly(A) polymerase I (PAP I) for tRNA precursors in wild-type cells. In the absence of both RNase T and RNase PH, there is a >30-fold increase of PAP I-dependent poly(A) tails that are ≤10 nt in length coupled with a 2.3- to 4.

Analysis of RNA decay, processing, and polyadenylation in Escherichia coli and other prokaryotes.

This chapter provides detailed methodologies for isolating total RNA and polyadenylated RNA from E. coli and other prokaryotes, along with the procedures necessary to analyze the processing and decay of specific transcripts and determine their 3'- and 5'-ends. The RNA isolation methods described here facilitate isolating good-quality RNA in a very cost-effective way compared to the commercially available RNA isolation kits, without employing phenol and/or alcohol precipitation.

Intragenic suppressors of temperature-sensitive rne mutations lead to the dissociation of RNase E activity on mRNA and tRNA substrates in Escherichia coli.

RNase E of Escherichia coli is an essential endoribonuclease that is involved in many aspects of RNA metabolism. Point mutations in the S1 RNA-binding domain of RNase E (rne-1 and rne-3071) lead to temperature-sensitive growth along with defects in 5S rRNA processing, mRNA decay and tRNA maturation. However, it is not clear whether RNase E acts similarly on all kinds of RNA substrates.

The Sm-like protein Hfq regulates polyadenylation dependent mRNA decay in Escherichia coli.

In Escherichia coli, the post-transcriptional addition of poly(A) tails by poly(A) polymerase I (PAP I, pcnB) plays a significant role in cellular RNA metabolism. However, many important features of this system, including its regulation and the selection of polyadenylation sites, are still poorly understood. Here we show that the inactivation of Hfq (hfq), an abundant RNA-binding protein, leads to the reduction in the ability of PAP I to add poly(A) tails at the 3' termini of mRNAs containing Rho-independent transcription terminators even though PAP I protein levels remain unchanged.

RNase E levels in Escherichia coli are controlled by a complex regulatory system that involves transcription of the rne gene from three promoters.

The rne gene of Escherichia coli encodes RNase E, an essential endoribonuclease that is involved in both mRNA decay and rRNA processing. Here we present evidence that the gene is transcribed from three promoters: p1, p2 and p3. The p2 and p3 promoters map 34 and 145 nt upstream from the previously characterized rne promoter, p1, generating unusually long 5' UTRs of 395 and 506 nt respectively.