title: Expression of double-stranded-RNA-specific RNase III of Escherichia coli is lethal to Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
abstract: The gene for the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-specific RNase III of Escherichia coli was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to examine the effects of this RNase activity on the yeast. Induction of the RNase III gene was found to cause abnormal cell morphology and cell death. Whereas double-stranded killer RNA is degraded by RNase III in vitro, killer RNA, rRNA, and some mRNAs were found to be stable in vivo after induction of RNase III. Variants selected for resistance to RNase III induction were isolated at a frequency of 4 X 10(-5) to 5 X 10(-5). Ten percent of these resistant strains had concomitantly lost the capacity to produce killer toxin and M dsRNA while retaining L dsRNA. The genetic alteration leading to RNase resistance was localized within the RNase III-coding region but not in the yeast chromosome. These results indicate that S. cerevisiae contains some essential RNA which is susceptible to E. coli RNase III.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway 08854.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pines
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inouye
mesh_terms: D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004722:Endoribonucleases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004790:Enzyme Induction; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D007700:Kinetics; D009154:Mutation; D010957:Plasmids; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012331:RNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D043244:Ribonuclease III; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
chemical_list: D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded; D012331:RNA, Fungal; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D004722:Endoribonucleases; C468367:RNT1 protein, S cerevisiae; D043244:Ribonuclease III; C468366:ribonuclease III, E coli