title: A human RNase E-like activity that cleaves RNA sequences involved in mRNA stability control.
abstract: We have detected an endoribonucleolytic activity in human cell extracts that processes the Escherichia coli 9S RNA and outer membrane protein A (ompA) mRNA with the same specificity as RNase E from E. coli. The human enzyme was partially purified by ion-exchange chromatography, and the active fractions contained a protein that was detected with antibodies shown to recognize E. coli RNase E. RNA containing four repeats of the destabilizing motif AUUUA and RNA from the 3' untranslated region of human c-myc mRNA were also found to be cleaved by E. coli RNase E and its human counterpart in a fashion that may suggest a role of this activity in mammalian mRNA decay. It was also found that RNA containing more than one AUUUA motif was cleaved more efficiently than RNA with only one or a mutated motif. This finding of a eukaryotic endoribonucleolytic activity corresponding to RNase E indicates an evolutionary conservation of the components of mRNA degradation systems.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology and Tumorbiology Center, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wennborg
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sohlberg
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Angerer
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: von Gabain
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002460:Cell Line; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004722:Endoribonucleases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology; D016259:Genes, myc; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009843:Oligoribonucleotides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012323:RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D009843:Oligoribonucleotides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D004722:Endoribonucleases; C022537:ribonuclease E