Escherichia coli RNase E has a role in the decay of bacteriophage T4 mRNA.
Bacteriophage T4 mRNAs are markedly stabilized, both chemically and functionally, in an Escherichia coli strain deficient in the RNA-processing endonuclease RNase E. The functional stability of total T4 messages increased 6-fold; we were unable to detect a T4 message whose functional stability was not increased. There was a 4-fold increase in the chemical stability of total T4 RNA. The degree of chemical stabilization of six specific T4 mRNAs examined varied from a maximum of 28-fold to a minimum of 1.5-fold. In the RNase E-deficient strain, several minutes delay and a slower rate of progeny production led to a reduction in final phage yield of approximately 50%. Although the effect of the rne temperature-sensitive mutation could be indirect, the simplest interpretation of our results is that RNase E acts directly in the degradation of many T4 mRNAs.
Mudd
E A
EA
Department of Molecular Biology, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Carpousis
A J
AJ
Krisch
H M
HM
D015152:Blotting, Northern; D004722:Endoribonucleases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology*; D006207:Half-Life; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*; D013604:T-Phages / Q000235:genetics*; D014498:Uracil / Q000378:metabolism
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014498:Uracil; D004722:Endoribonucleases; C022537:ribonuclease E