title: Ribonuclease III-mediated processing of specific Neisseria meningitidis mRNAs.
abstract: Approx. 2% of the Neisseria meningitidis genome consists of small DNA insertion sequences known as Correia or nemis elements, which feature TIRs (terminal inverted repeats) of 26-27 bp in length. Elements interspersed with coding regions are co-transcribed with flanking genes into mRNAs, processed at double-stranded RNA structures formed by TIRs. N. meningitidis RNase III (endoribonuclease III) is sufficient to process nemis+ RNAs. RNA hairpins formed by nemis with the same termini (26/26 and 27/27 repeats) are cleaved. By contrast, bulged hairpins formed by 26/27 repeats inhibit cleavage, both in vitro and in vivo. In electrophoretic mobility shift assays, all hairpin types formed similar retarded complexes upon incubation with RNase III. The levels of corresponding nemis+ and nemis- mRNAs, and the relative stabilities of RNA segments processed from nemis+ transcripts in vitro, may both vary significantly.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare L. Califano, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Eliana
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Gregorio
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Abrescia
authors.forename: M Stella
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Carlomagno
authors.forename: Pier Paolo
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Di Nocera
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D004722:Endoribonucleases / Q000737:chemistry*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000235:genetics*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D012323:RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional; D020871:RNA Stability / Q000235:genetics; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D043244:Ribonuclease III; D020086:Short Interspersed Nucleotide Elements; D020079:Terminal Repeat Sequences
chemical_list: D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D004722:Endoribonucleases; D043244:Ribonuclease III