The stability of mRNA from the gsiB gene of Bacillus subtilis is dependent on the presence of a strong ribosome binding site.
In Bacillus subtilis IS58 starved of glucose or exposed to heat shock, ethanol or salt stress, the sigmaB-dependent general stress protein GsiB is accumulated to a higher level than other general stress proteins. This high-level accumulation of GsiB can at least partially be attributed to the remarkably long half-life (approximately 20 min) of the gsiB mRNA. Analysis of different gsiB-lacZ fusions revealed that this stability is not determined by sequences at the 3' end of the transcript but rather by sequences upstream of the translational start codon. Site-directed mutagenesis established that a strong ribosome binding site was crucial for the increased stability of the gsiB mRNA. A comparison of the sequences upstream of the translational start codons of three general stress genes, gsiB, gspA and ctc, revealed a direct correlation between mRNA stability and the strength of their translational signals.
Institut für Mikrobiologie und Molekularbiologie, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald, Germany.
B
B
Jürgen
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T
Schweder
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M
Hecker
D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D002701:Chloramphenicol / Q000494:pharmacology; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D011691:Puromycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D012313:RNA; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D012270:Ribosomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D012293:Rifampin / Q000494:pharmacology
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C039919:RNA, recombinant; C090745:global stress protein A, bacteria; C106697:protein CTC, Bacteria; C075520:gsiB protein, Bacillus subtilis; D011691:Puromycin; D012313:RNA; D002701:Chloramphenicol; D012293:Rifampin