scholarly journals DNA sequence around the Escherichia coli unc operon. Completion of the sequence of a 17 kilobase segment containing asnA, oriC, unc, glmS and phoS

1984 ◽  
Vol 224 (3) ◽  
pp. 799-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
J E Walker ◽  
N J Gay ◽  
M Saraste ◽  
A N Eberle

The nucleotide sequence is described of a region of the Escherichia coli chromosome extending from oriC to phoS that also includes the loci gid, unc and glmS. Taken with known sequences for asnA and phoS this completes the sequence of a segment of about 17 kilobases or 0.4 min of the E. coli genome. Sequences that are probably transcriptional promoters for unc and phoS can be detected and the identity of the unc promoter has been confirmed by experiments in vitro with RNA polymerase. Upstream of the promoter sequence is an extensive region that appears to be non-coding. Conserved sequences are found that may serve to concentrate RNA polymerase in the vicinity of the unc promoter. Hairpin loop structures resembling known rho-independent transcription termination signals are evident following the unc operon and glmS. The glmS gene encoding the amidotransferase, glucosamine synthetase, has been identified by homology with glutamine 5-phosphoribosylpyrophosphate amidotransferase.

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (20) ◽  
pp. 6126-6134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio E. Cabrera ◽  
Ding Jun Jin

ABSTRACT The Escherichia coli rapA gene encodes the RNA polymerase (RNAP)-associated protein RapA, which is a bacterial member of the SWI/SNF helicase-like protein family. We have studied therapA promoter and its regulation in vivo and determined the interaction between RNAP and the promoter in vitro. We have found that the expression of rapA is growth phase dependent, peaking at the early log phase. The growth phase control ofrapA is determined at least by one particular feature of the promoter: it uses CTP as the transcription-initiating nucleotide instead of a purine, which is used for most E. colipromoters. We also found that the rapA promoter is subject to growth rate regulation in vivo and that it forms intrinsic unstable initiation complexes with RNAP in vitro. Furthermore, we have shown that a GC-rich or discriminator sequence between the −10 and +1 positions of the rapA promoter is responsible for its growth rate control and the instability of its initiation complexes with RNAP.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (7) ◽  
pp. 3560-3567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Luciano ◽  
Joel G. Belasco

Stresses that increase the cellular concentration of dinucleoside tetraphosphates (Np4Ns) have recently been shown to impact RNA degradation by inducing nucleoside tetraphosphate (Np4) capping of bacterial transcripts. However, neither the mechanism by which such caps are acquired nor the function of Np4Ns in bacteria is known. Here we report that promoter sequence changes upstream of the site of transcription initiation similarly affect both the efficiency with which Escherichia coli RNA polymerase incorporates dinucleoside polyphosphates at the 5′ end of nascent transcripts in vitro and the percentage of transcripts that are Np4-capped in E. coli, clear evidence for Np4 cap acquisition by Np4N incorporation during transcription initiation in bacterial cells. E. coli RNA polymerase initiates transcription more efficiently with Np4As than with ATP, particularly when the coding strand nucleotide that immediately precedes the initiation site is a purine. Together, these findings indicate that Np4Ns function in bacteria as precursors to Np4 caps and that RNA polymerase has evolved a predilection for synthesizing capped RNA whenever such precursors are abundant.


2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (17) ◽  
pp. 5198-5202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pongpan Laksanalamai ◽  
Dennis L. Maeder ◽  
Frank T. Robb

ABSTRACT The small heat shock protein (sHSP) from the hyperthermophilePyrococcus furiosus was specifically induced at the level of transcription by heat shock at 105°C. The gene encoding this protein was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant sHSP prevented the majority of E. coli proteins from aggregating in vitro for up to 40 min at 105°C. The sHSP also prevented bovine glutamate dehydrogenase from aggregating at 56°C. Survivability of E. colioverexpressing the sHSP was enhanced approximately sixfold during exposure to 50°C for 2 h compared with the control culture, which did not express the sHSP. Apparently, the sHSP confers a survival advantage on mesophilic bacteria by preventing protein aggregation at supraoptimal temperatures.


2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (15) ◽  
pp. 5524-5531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilda Hiu Yin Yu ◽  
Elizabeth G. Di Russo ◽  
Megan A. Rounds ◽  
Ming Tan

ABSTRACT σ28 RNA polymerase is an alternative RNA polymerase that has been postulated to have a role in developmental gene regulation in Chlamydia. Although a consensus bacterial σ28 promoter sequence has been proposed, it is based on a relatively small number of defined promoters, and the promoter structure has not been systematically analyzed. To evaluate the sequence of the σ28-dependent promoter, we performed a comprehensive mutational analysis of the Chlamydia trachomatis hctB promoter, testing the effect of point substitutions on promoter activity. We defined a −35 element recognized by chlamydial σ28 RNA polymerase that resembles the consensus −35 sequence. Within the −10 element, however, chlamydial σ28 RNA polymerase showed a striking preference for a CGA sequence at positions −12 to −10 rather than the longer consensus −10 sequence. We also observed a strong preference for this CGA sequence by Escherichia coli σ28 RNA polymerase, suggesting that this previously unrecognized motif is the critical component of the −10 promoter element recognized by σ28 RNA polymerase. Although the consensus spacer length is 11 nucleotides (nt), we found that σ28 RNA polymerase from both Chlamydia and E. coli transcribed a promoter with either an 11- or 12-nt spacer equally well. Altogether, we found very similar results for σ28 RNA polymerase from C. trachomatis and E. coli, suggesting that promoter recognition by this alternative RNA polymerase is well conserved among bacteria. The preferred σ28 promoter that we defined in the context of the hctB promoter is TAAAGwwy-n11/12-ryCGAwrn, where w is A or T, r is a purine, y is a pyrimidine, n is any nucleotide, and n11/12 is a spacer of 11 or 12 nt.


1993 ◽  
Vol 289 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Quinn ◽  
A G Diamond ◽  
A K Masters ◽  
D E Brookfield ◽  
N G Wallis ◽  
...  

The dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase subunit (E2p) of mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex has two highly conserved lipoyl domains each modified with a lipoyl cofactor bound in amide linkage to a specific lysine residue. A sub-gene encoding the inner lipoyl domain of human E2p has been over-expressed in Escherichia coli. Two forms of the domain have been purified, corresponding to lipoylated and non-lipoylated species. The apo-domain can be lipoylated in vitro with partially purified E. coli lipoate protein ligase, and the lipoylated domain can be reductively acetylated by human E1p (pyruvate dehydrogenase). Availability of the two forms will now allow detailed biochemical and structural studies of the human lipoyl domains.


2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (18) ◽  
pp. 5167-5171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris S. Schaumburg ◽  
Ming Tan

ABSTRACT The spacer A/T region is a positive cis-acting DNA element that was identified in the Chlamydia trachomatisrRNA promoter region. We have now demonstrated that similar sequences in other chlamydial promoters are important for transcription. Substitution of candidate spacer A/T regions in four chlamydial promoters decreased transcription by partially purified C. trachomatis RNA polymerase in an in vitro transcription assay. Addition of a spacer A/T region to the dnaK promoter, which does not contain an identifiable spacer A/T region, increased transcription 16-fold. Transcription of Escherichia colipromoters by C. trachomatis RNA polymerase also appeared to be dependent on the spacer A/T region. However, the effect of the spacer A/T region on transcription by E. coli RNA polymerase was small. In summary, the spacer A/T region is a novel DNA element that is required for high-level transcription of many promoters by chlamydial RNA polymerase.


1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (9) ◽  
pp. 2359-2366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Tan ◽  
Tamas Gaal ◽  
Richard L. Gourse ◽  
Joanne N. Engel

ABSTRACT We have characterized the Chlamydia trachomatisribosomal promoter, rRNA P1, by measuring the effect of substitutions and deletions on in vitro transcription with partially purifiedC. trachomatis RNA polymerase. Our analyses indicate that rRNA P1 contains potential −10 and −35 elements, analogous toEscherichia coli promoters recognized by E-ς70. We identified a novel AT-rich region immediately downstream of the −35 region. The effect of this region was specific for C. trachomatis RNA polymerase and strongly attenuated by single G or C substitutions. Upstream of the −35 region was an AT-rich sequence that enhanced transcription by C. trachomatis and E. coli RNA polymerases. We propose that this region functions as an UP element.


2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (10) ◽  
pp. 3434-3443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umender K. Sharma ◽  
Dipankar Chatterji

ABSTRACT Anti-sigma factors Escherichia coli Rsd and bacteriophage T4 AsiA bind to the essential housekeeping sigma factor, σ70, of E. coli. Though both factors are known to interact with the C-terminal region of σ70, the physiological consequences of these interactions are very different. This study was undertaken for the purpose of deciphering the mechanisms by which E. coli Rsd and bacteriophage T4 AsiA inhibit or modulate the activity of E. coli RNA polymerase, which leads to the inhibition of E. coli cell growth to different amounts. It was found that AsiA is the more potent inhibitor of in vivo transcription and thus causes higher inhibition of E. coli cell growth. Measurements of affinity constants by surface plasmon resonance experiments showed that Rsd and AsiA bind to σ70 with similar affinity. Data obtained from in vivo and in vitro binding experiments clearly demonstrated that the major difference between AsiA and Rsd is the ability of AsiA to form a stable ternary complex with RNA polymerase. The binding patterns of AsiA and Rsd with σ70 studied by using the yeast two-hybrid system revealed that region 4 of σ70 is involved in binding to both of these anti-sigma factors; however, Rsd interacts with other regions of σ70 as well. Taken together, these results suggest that the higher inhibition of E. coli growth by AsiA expression is probably due to the ability of the AsiA protein to trap the holoenzyme RNA polymerase rather than its higher binding affinity to σ70.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lacey R. Lopez ◽  
Cassandra J. Barlogio ◽  
Christopher A. Broberg ◽  
Jeremy Wang ◽  
Janelle C. Arthur

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and inflammation-associated colorectal cancer (CRC) are linked to blooms of adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) in the intestinal microbiota. AIEC are functionally defined by their ability to adhere/invade epithelial cells and survive/replicate within macrophages. Changes in micronutrient availability can alter AIEC physiology and interactions with host cells. Thus, culturing AIEC for mechanistic investigations often involves precise nutrient formulation. We observed that the pro-inflammatory and pro-carcinogenic AIEC strain NC101 failed to grow in minimal media (MM). We hypothesized that NC101 was unable to synthesize a vital micronutrient normally found in the host gut. Through nutrient supplementation studies, we identified that NC101 is a nicotinic acid (NA) auxotroph. NA auxotrophy was not observed in the other non-toxigenic E. coli or AIEC strains we tested. Sequencing revealed NC101 has a missense mutation in nadA, a gene encoding quinolinate synthase A that is important for de novo nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) biosynthesis. Correcting the identified nadA point mutation restored NC101 prototrophy without impacting AIEC function, including motility and AIEC-defining survival in macrophages. Our findings, along with the generation of a prototrophic NC101 strain, will greatly enhance the ability to perform in vitro functional studies that are needed for mechanistic investigations on the role of intestinal E. coli in digestive disease.


Genetics ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-180
Author(s):  
L Snyder ◽  
L Jorissen

Abstract Bacteriophage T4 has the substituted base hydroxymethylcytosine in its DNA and presumably shuts off host transcription by specifically blocking transcription of cytosine-containing DNA. When T4 incorporates cytosine into its own DNA, the shutoff mechanism is directed back at T4, blocking its late gene expression and phage production. Mutations which permit T4 multiplication with cytosine DNA should be in genes required for host shutoff. The only such mutations characterized thus far have been in the phage unf/alc gene. The product of this gene is also required for the unfolding of the host nucleoid after infection, hence its dual name unf/alc. As part of our investigation of the mechanism of action of unf/alc, we have isolated Escherichia coli mutants which propagate cytosine T4 even if the phage are genotypically alc+. These same E. coli mutants are delayed in the T4-induced unfolding of their nucleoid, lending strong support to the conclusion that blocking transcription and unfolding the host nucleoid are but different manifestations of the same activity. We have mapped two of the mutations, called paf mutations for prevent alc function. They both map at about 90 min, probably in the rpoB gene encoding a subunit of RNA polymerase. From the behavior of Paf mutants, we hypothesize that the unf/alc gene product of T4 interacts somehow with the host RNA polymerase to block transcription of cytosine DNA and unfold the host nucleoid.


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