title: Toxin MqsR cleaves single-stranded mRNA with various 5' ends.
abstract: Toxin/antitoxin (TA) systems are the means by which bacterial cells become persistent; that is, those cells that are tolerant to multiple environmental stresses such as antibiotics by becoming metabolically dormant. These persister cells are responsible for recalcitrant infections. Once toxins are activated by the inactivation of antitoxins (e.g., stress-triggered Lon degradation of the antitoxin), many toxins reduce metabolism by inhibiting translation (e.g., cleaving mRNA, reducing ATP). The MqsR/MqsA TA system of Escherichia coli cleaves mRNA to help the cell withstand oxidative and bile acid stress. Here, we investigated the role of secondary structure and 5' mRNA processing on MqsR degradation of mRNA and found that MqsR cleaves only single-stranded RNA at 5'-GCU sites and that MqsR is equally active against RNA with 5'-triphosphate, 5'-monophosphate, and 5'-hydroxyl groups.
authors: Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802-4400.
authors: Nityananda
authors: N
authors: Chowdhury
authors: Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802-4400.
authors: Brian W
authors: BW
authors: Kwan
authors: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802-4400.|Center for RNA Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802-4400.
authors: Louise C
authors: LC
authors: McGibbon
authors: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802-4400.|Center for RNA Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802-4400.
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Babitzke
authors: Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802-4400.|Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802-4400.|Center for RNA Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802-4400.
authors: Thomas K
authors: TK
authors: Wood
mesh_terms: D000992:Antitoxins / Q000378:metabolism; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000992:Antitoxins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C508571:MqsR protein, E coli; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins
keywords: MqsR; mRNA; persisters; toxin/antitoxin