title: Endonucleolytic initiation of mRNA decay in Escherichia coli.
abstract: Instability is a fundamental property of mRNA that is necessary for the regulation of gene expression. In E. coli, the turnover of mRNA involves multiple, redundant pathways involving 3'-exoribonucleases, endoribonucleases, and a variety of other enzymes that modify RNA covalently or affect its conformation. Endoribonucleases are thought to initiate or accelerate the process of mRNA degradation. A major endoribonuclease in this process is RNase E, which is a key component of the degradative machinery amongst the Proteobacteria. RNase E is the central element in a multienzyme complex known as the RNA degradosome. Structural and functional data are converging on models for the mechanism of activation and regulation of RNase E and its paralog, RNase G. Here, we discuss current models for mRNA degradation in E. coli and we present current thinking on the structure and function of RNase E based on recent crystal structures of its catalytic core.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires, CNRS et Université Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Agamemnon J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Carpousis
authors.forename: Ben F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Luisi
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: McDowall
mesh_terms: D004722:Endoribonucleases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D020871:RNA Stability; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D004722:Endoribonucleases; C022537:ribonuclease E