title: Measuring the immeasurable.
abstract: Many bacterial pathogens turn on virulence genes at host body temperature. In the September 6, 2002, issue of Cell, Johansson et al. show that the Listeria monocytogenes thermosensor is an RNA structure in the 5' untranslated region of the mRNA for the virulence-activating transcription factor PrfA. The stem-loop structure blocks translation initiation at 30 degrees C but melts away at 37 degrees C.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weiner
mesh_terms: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010454:Peptide Termination Factors; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013696:Temperature; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics*; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D010454:Peptide Termination Factors; D011506:Proteins; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015534:Trans-Activators