Structural requirements of Bacillus subtilis small cytoplasmic RNA for cell growth, sporulation, and extracellular enzyme production.
Bacillus subtilis small cytoplasmic RNA (scRNA; 271 nucleotides) is a member of the signal recognition particle (SRP) RNA family, which has evolutionarily conserved primary and secondary structures. The scRNA consists of three domains corresponding to domains I, II, and IV of human SRP 7S RNA. To identify the structural determinants required for its function, we constructed mutant scRNAs in which individual domains or conserved nucleotides were deleted, and their importance was assayed in vivo. The results demonstrated that domain IV of scRNA is necessary to maintain cell viability. On the other hand, domains I and II were not essential for vegetative growth but were preferentially required for the RNA to achieve its active structure, and assembled ribonucleoprotein between Ffh and scRNA is required for sporulation to proceed. This view is highly consistent with the fact that the presence of domains I and II is restricted to sporeforming B. subtilis scRNA among eubacterial SRP RNA-like RNAs.
Nishiguchi
M
M
Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Honda
K
K
Amikura
R
R
Nakamura
K
K
Yamane
K
K
D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000235:genetics; D002455:Cell Division; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020733:RNA, Small Cytoplasmic; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D018271:Signal Recognition Particle / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000254:growth & development / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C082931:Ffh protein, E coli; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D020733:RNA, Small Cytoplasmic; D018271:Signal Recognition Particle; D012313:RNA; D010450:Endopeptidases