This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Saxena, P Articles by Walker, J R Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Saxena, P Articles by Walker, J R

research-article

Expression of argU, the Escherichia coli gene coding for a rare arginine tRNA.

Department of Microbiology, University of Texas, Austin 78712-1095.

ABSTRACT

The Escherichia coli argU gene encodes the rare arginine tRNA, tRNA(UCUArg), which decodes the similarly rare AGA codons. The argU promoter is, with two exceptions, a typical, strongly expressed stable RNA gene promoter which is stimulated by an upstream activator sequence. Unlike other tRNA operons, however, argU expression is severely inhibited by sequences downstream of the transcription start point. In vivo, nucleotides +2 to +45 inhibited expression by 25- to 100-fold when measured by fusion of argU promoter regions to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene or by quantitative primer extension analysis. In vitro, linearized argU promoter fragments on which the argU region ended at +1 supported 5- to 10-fold-more transcription than when the argU region ended at +45. This difference in degree of inhibition between in vivo and in vitro conditions suggests that several factors, some of which could be absent in vitro, might limit expression in vivo. Alternatively, one mechanism might limit expression both in vivo and in vitro but function more efficiently in vivo. A second difference from strongly expressed stable RNA promoters is the fact the argU gene is relatively insensitive to growth rate regulation, at least when assayed on a multicopy plasmid.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• LEIPUVIENE, R., BJORK, G. R. (2005). A reduced level of charged tRNAArgmnm5UCU triggers the wild-type peptidyl-tRNA to frameshift. RNA 11: 796-807 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Boomershine, W. P., McElroy, C. A., Tsai, H.-Y., Wilson, R. C., Gopalan, V., Foster, M. P. (2003). Structure of Mth11/Mth Rpp29, an essential protein subunit of archaeal and eukaryotic RNase P. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100: 15398-15403 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• BERSET, C., ZURBRIGGEN, A., DJAFARZADEH, S., ALTMANN, M., TRACHSEL, H. (2003). RNA-binding activity of translation initiation factor eIF4G1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. RNA 9: 871-880 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Kamadurai, H. B., Subramaniam, S., Jones, R. B., Green-Church, K. B., Foster, M. P. (2003). Protein folding coupled to DNA binding in the catalytic domain of bacteriophage {lambda} integrase detected by mass spectrometry. Protein Sci. 12: 620-626 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Reeves, S. A., Torres, A. G., Payne, S. M. (2000). TonB Is Required for Intracellular Growth and Virulence of Shigella dysenteriae. Infect. Immun. 68: 6329-6336 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Berlyn, M. K. B. (1998). Linkage Map of Escherichia coli K-12, Edition 10: The Traditional Map. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 62: 814-984 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Zimmer, S., Stocker, A., Sarbolouki, M. N., Spycher, S. E., Sassoon, J., Azzi, A. (2000). A Novel Human Tocopherol-associated Protein. CLONING, IN VITRO EXPRESSION, AND CHARACTERIZATION. J. Biol. Chem. 275: 25672-25680 [Abstract] [Full Text]