scholarly journals The control of ribonucleic acid synthesis in bacteria. The synthesis and stability of ribonucleic acids in relaxed and stringent amino acid auxotrophs of Escherichia coli

1972 ◽  
Vol 128 (5) ◽  
pp. 1007-1020 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. J. H. Gray ◽  
J. E. M. Midgley
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Heterogeneous Material ◽  
Acid Synthesis ◽  
Sucrose Density Gradient ◽  
23S Rrna ◽  
Ribonucleic Acids ◽  
Mrna Content ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
The Stability

The biosynthesis and stability of various RNA fractions was studied in RCstr and RCrel multiple amino acid auxotrophs of Escherichia coli. In conditions of amino acid deprivation, RCstr mutants were labelled with exogenous nucleotide bases at less than 1% of the rate found in cultures growing normally in supplemented media. Studies by DNA–RNA hybridization and by other methods showed that, during a period of amino acid withdrawal, not more than 60–70% of the labelled RNA formed in RCstr mutants had the characteristics of mRNA. Evidence was obtained for some degradation of newly formed 16S and 23S rRNA species to heterogeneous material of lower molecular weight. This led to overestimations of the mRNA content of rapidly labelled RNA from such methods as simple examination of sucrose-density-gradient profiles. In RCrel strains the absolute and relative rates of synthesis of the various RNA fractions were not greatly affected. However, the stability of about half of the mRNA fraction was increased in RCrel strains during amino acid starvation, giving kinetics of mRNA labelling and turnover that were identical with those found in either RCstr or RCrel strains inhibited by high concentrations of chloramphenicol. Coincidence hybridization techniques showed that the mRNA content of amino acid-starved RCstr auxotrophs was unchanged from that found in normally growing cells. In contrast, RCrel strains deprived of amino acids increased their mRNA content about threefold. In such cultures the mRNA content of accumulating newly formed RNA was a constant 16% by wt.

scholarly journals The control of ribonucleic acid synthesis in bacteria. Polymerization rates for ribonucleic acids in amino acid-starved relaxed and stringent auxotrophs of Escherichia coli

1972 ◽  
Vol 128 (5) ◽  
pp. 1021-1031 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. J. H. Gray ◽  
T. G. Vickers ◽  
J. E. M. Midgley
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Normal Growth ◽  
Acid Synthesis ◽  
Amino Acid Deprivation ◽  
Ribonucleic Acids ◽  
Rate Of Polymerization ◽  
Chain Polymerization ◽  
Multiple Amino Acid ◽  
Nucleotide Bases

Polymerization rates of newly formed chains of various RNA fractions were measured in Escherichia coli CP78 (RCstr) and CP79 (RCrel) multiple amino acid auxotrophs, deprived of four amino acids essential for growth. Immediately after the onset of severe amino acid deprivation, in RCstr strains the rate of labelling of RNA by exogenous nucleotide bases was greatly diminished. At first, the initiation of new RNA chains declined faster than the rate of polymerization in RCstr organisms, but as starvation proceeded the rate of polymerization was eventually lowered to about 10% of that found during normal growth. In strain CP79 (RCrel), on the other hand, chain-polymerization rates were unaffected by amino acid withdrawal. Artificial depletion of the intracellular purine nucleotide pools in RCstr or RCrel strains by trimethoprim, before the onset of amino acid deprivation, showed that in the RCstr, but not the RCrel strain, amino acid withdrawal gave rise to an inability of the cells to utilize exogenously supplied purine or pyrimidine bases for RNA synthesis. During a prolonged starvation, the observed 100-fold decrease in the total rate of incorporation of exogenous nucleotide bases into the RNA of RCstr organisms was ascribed to a combination of a tenfold decrease in the overall rate of RNA chain polymerization, at least a fivefold decrease in the ability of the cells to utilize exogenous bases and a preferential inhibition of initiation of stable RNA chains. None of these changes occurred in the corresponding RCrel strain.

scholarly journals The control of ribonucleic acid synthesis in bacteria. The synthesis and stability of ribonucleic acid in rifampicin-inhibited cultures of Escherichia coli

1971 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. J. H. Gray ◽  
J. E. M. Midgley
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Ribonucleic Acid ◽  
Acid Synthesis ◽  
Polymerization Rate ◽  
23S Rrna ◽  
Considerable Proportion ◽  
Bacterial Growth Rate ◽  
Ribonucleic Acids ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Kinetics Of

A study was made of the kinetics of labelling of the stable ribonucleic acids (rRNA+tRNA) and the unstable mRNA fraction in cultures of Escherichia coli M.R.E.600, inhibited by the addition of 0.1g of rifampicin/l. Labelling was carried out by adding either [2-14C]- or [5-3H]-uracil as an exogenous precursor of the cellular nucleic acids. From studies using DNA RNA hybridization, the kinetics of the synthesis and degradation of mRNA was followed in the inhibited cultures. Although a considerable proportion of the mRNA labelled in the presence of rifampicin decayed to non-hybridizable products, about 25% was stabilized beyond the point where protein synthesis had finally ceased. It therefore seems unwise to extrapolate the results of studies on mRNA stability in rifampicin-inhibited cultures to the situation existing in the rate of steady growth, where there appears to be little, if any, stable messenger. The kinetics of labelling of RNA in inhibited cultures indicated that the clapsed time from the addition of rifampicin to the point at which radioactivity no longer enters the total cellular ribonucleic acids is a measure of the time required to polymerize a molecule of rRNA. At 37°C, in culture grown in broth, glucose–salts or lactate salts media, exogenous [2-14C]uracil entered rifampicin-inhibited cells and was incorporated into RNA for 2 3min after the antibiotic was added. Taking this time as that required to polymerize a complete chain of 23S rRNA, the polymerization rate of this fraction in the three media was 25, 22 and 19 nucleotides added/s to the growing chains. Similar experiments in cultures previously inhibited by 0.2g of chloramphenicol/l showed virtually identical behaviour. This confirmed the work of Midgley & Gray (1971), who, by a different approach, showed that the polymerization rate of rRNA in steadily growing and chloramphenicol-inhibited cultures of E. coli at 37°C was essentially constant at about 22 nucleotides added/s. It was thus confirmed that the rate of polymerization of at least the rRNA fraction in E. coli is virtually unaffected by the nature of the growth medium and therefore by bacterial growth rate.

Screening of OXA-244 producers, a difficult-to-detect and emerging OXA-48 variant?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecile Emeraud ◽  
Laura Biez ◽  
Delphine Girlich ◽  
Agnès B Jousset ◽  
Thierry Naas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Hydrolytic Activity ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Broth Microdilution ◽  
Mlst Analysis ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Amino Acid Variant ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
High Concentrations

Abstract Background OXA-244, a single amino acid variant of OXA-48, demonstrates weaker hydrolytic activity towards carbapenems and temocillin compared with OXA-48. Of note, these antimicrobials are present in high concentrations in several carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) screening media. As a result, some screening media fail to grow OXA-244-producing isolates, while the prevalence of OXA-244 producers is constantly increasing in France. Methods Here, we evaluate the performance of three commercially available CPE screening media [ChromID® CARBA SMART (bioMérieux), Brilliance™ CRE (Thermo Fisher) and mSuperCARBA™ (MAST Diagnostic)] for their ability to detect OXA-244 producers (n = 101). As OXA-244 producers may also express an ESBL, two additional ESBL screening media were tested (Brilliance™ ESBL and ChromID® BLSE). MICs of temocillin and imipenem were determined by broth microdilution. The clonality of OXA-244-producing Escherichia coli isolates (n = 97) was assessed by MLST. Results Overall, the sensitivity of the ChromID® CARBA SMART, Brilliance™ CRE and mSuperCARBA™ media were 14% (95% CI = 8.1%–22.5%), 54% (95% CI = 43.3%–63.4%) and 99% (95% CI = 93.8%–100%), respectively, for the detection of OXA-244 producers. Among the 101 OXA-244-producing isolates, 96% were E. coli and 77%–78% grew on ESBL screening media. MLST analysis identified five main STs among OXA-244-producing E. coli isolates: ST38 (n = 37), ST361 (n = 17), ST69 (n = 12), ST167 (n = 11) and ST10 (n = 8). Conclusions Our results demonstrated that the mSuperCARBA™ medium is very efficient in the detection of OXA-244 producers, unlike the ChromID® CARBA SMART medium. The high prevalence of ESBLs among OXA-244 producers allowed detection of 77%–78% of them using ESBL-specific screening media.

scholarly journals Anaerobic Cysteine Degradation and Potential Metabolic Coordination in Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli

2017 ◽  
Vol 199 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Loddeke ◽  
Barbara Schneider ◽  
Tamiko Oguri ◽  
Iti Mehta ◽  
Zhenyu Xuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Acid Synthesis ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
Amino Acid Synthesis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Sulfur Containing ◽  
Sulfur Containing Compounds

ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica has two CyuR-activated enzymes that degrade cysteine, i.e., the aerobic CdsH and an unidentified anaerobic enzyme; Escherichia coli has only the latter. To identify the anaerobic enzyme, transcript profiling was performed for E. coli without cyuR and with overexpressed cyuR. Thirty-seven genes showed at least 5-fold changes in expression, and the cyuPA (formerly yhaOM) operon showed the greatest difference. Homology suggested that CyuP and CyuA represent a cysteine transporter and an iron-sulfur-containing cysteine desulfidase, respectively. E. coli and S. enterica ΔcyuA mutants grown with cysteine generated substantially less sulfide and had lower growth yields. Oxygen affected the CyuR-dependent genes reciprocally; cyuP-lacZ expression was greater anaerobically, whereas cdsH-lacZ expression was greater aerobically. In E. coli and S. enterica, anaerobic cyuP expression required cyuR and cysteine and was induced by l-cysteine, d-cysteine, and a few sulfur-containing compounds. Loss of either CyuA or RidA, both of which contribute to cysteine degradation to pyruvate, increased cyuP-lacZ expression, which suggests that CyuA modulates intracellular cysteine concentrations. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CyuA homologs are present in obligate and facultative anaerobes, confirming an anaerobic function, and in archaeal methanogens and bacterial acetogens, suggesting an ancient origin. Our results show that CyuA is the major anaerobic cysteine-catabolizing enzyme in both E. coli and S. enterica, and it is proposed that anaerobic cysteine catabolism can contribute to coordination of sulfur assimilation and amino acid synthesis. IMPORTANCE Sulfur-containing compounds such as cysteine and sulfide are essential and reactive metabolites. Exogenous sulfur-containing compounds can alter the thiol landscape and intracellular redox reactions and are known to affect several cellular processes, including swarming motility, antibiotic sensitivity, and biofilm formation. Cysteine inhibits several enzymes of amino acid synthesis; therefore, increasing cysteine concentrations could increase the levels of the inhibited enzymes. This inhibition implies that control of intracellular cysteine levels, which is the immediate product of sulfide assimilation, can affect several pathways and coordinate metabolism. For these and other reasons, cysteine and sulfide concentrations must be controlled, and this work shows that cysteine catabolism contributes to this control.

scholarly journals The effect of hypermethylation on the functional properties of transfer ribonucleic acid. Ribosome-binding and polypeptide synthesis

1970 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 587-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Hay ◽  
D. J. Pillinger ◽  
E. Borek
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Binding Assay ◽  
Covalent Bond ◽  
Methyl Groups ◽  
Ribosome Binding ◽  
Phosphodiester Bonds ◽  
Polypeptide Synthesis ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Escherichia Coli B

1. Phenylalanyl-tRNA formed after chemical hypermethylation of Escherichia coli B tRNA was able to bind to ribosomes with the same efficiency as normal phenylalanyl-tRNA. 2. Under incubation conditions used in the ribosome-binding assay, hypermethylation of tRNA did not measurably decrease the stability of either inter-nucleotide phosphodiester bonds or the covalent bond between amino acid and tRNA in phenylalanyl-tRNA. 3. The ability of hypermethylated tRNA to take part in polyphenylalanine synthesis was inhibited progressively as the degree of hypermethylation increased. 4. Hypermethylation of tRNA affected polyphenylalanine synthesis at the stage of amino acid recognition and at a further point in the synthesis but not at the level of codon–anticodon recognition. 5. The formation of polylysine was more seriously affected by hypermethylation of tRNA than would be accounted for by inhibition of amino acid acceptance alone. 6. Polyproline formation was completely inhibited by the presence of 7mol% excess of methyl groups in tRNA. 7. The possibility of a link between amino acid acceptance and ribosome-binding was suggested for phenylalanyl-tRNA, but not for lysyl- or prolyl-tRNA.

The influence of radiomimetic substances on deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis and function studied in escherichia coli/phage systems - IV. Colony-forming ability and escherichia coli strain B and two of its mutants following alkylation

1959 ◽  
Vol 151 (942) ◽  
pp. 129-147 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Chemical Reactivity ◽  
Alkylating Agents ◽  
Chemical Change ◽  
Acid Synthesis ◽  
Coli Strain ◽  
Ribonucleic Acids ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Synthetic Capacity ◽  
And Function

Escherichia coli strain B , its mutant B/r and a new mutant, designated B/HN 2, have been employed in a study of the effect of alkylating agents upon the survival of colony-forming ability and phage-synthetic capacity. This has been done against the background of our earlier work upon phage and that of other workers upon bacteria, employing both alkylating agents and radiations. The sensitivity of B toward all the compounds now studied was greater than that of the other two strains as regards colony-forming ability, whereas all three strains showed a similar sensitivity in regard to capacity. Survival curves of all strains treated with monofunctional agents were of a so-called ‘multi-hit’ type, whereas those for bifunctional compounds were downwardly concave. The response to di(2-ehloroethyl) methylamine ( HN 2) was complicated by the chemical change undergone by this substance in aqueous solution, as was shown by a comparison of fresh and aged solutions and of the effect of different cultural conditions prior to treatment. As with radiations, phage-synthetic capacity was considerably less sensitive to alkylation than colony-forming ability, whilst this sensitivity was essentially the same for the three strains. No significant difference was found between the effect of HN 2 on the capacity of B for T 2 and for T 7. The capacity of B/r for T 2 was more sensitive to treatment by a bifunctional agent than by a monofunctional agent of similar chemical reactivity. It is suggested that this may implicate ribonucleic acids as the reactive substrate essential to capacity.

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