Previous Article | Next Article 
J Bacteriol, March 1998, p. 1525-1532, Vol. 180, No. 6
0021-9193/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Activation of Escherichia coli rRNA
Transcription by FIS during a Growth Cycle
J. Alex
Appleman,
Wilma
Ross,
Julia
Salomon, and
Richard L.
Gourse*
Department of Bacteriology, University of
Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706
Received 7 November 1997/Accepted 6 January 1998
rRNA transcription in Escherichia coli is activated by
the FIS protein, which binds upstream of rrnp1
promoters and interacts directly with RNA polymerase. Analysis of the
contribution of FIS to rrn transcription under changing
physiological conditions is complicated by several factors: the wide
variation in cellular FIS concentrations with growth conditions, the
contributions of several other regulatory systems to rRNA synthesis,
and the pleiotropy of fis mutations. In this report, we
show by in vivo footprinting and Western blot analysis that occupancy
of the rrnBp1 FIS sites correlates with
cellular levels of FIS. We find, using two methods of measurement
(pulse induction of a FIS-activated hybrid promoter and primer
extension from an unstable transcript made from
rrnBp1), that the extent of transcription
activation by FIS parallels the degree of FIS site occupancy and
therefore cellular FIS levels. FIS activates transcription throughout
exponential growth at low culture density, but
rrnp1 transcription increases independently of
FIS immediately following upshift, before FIS accumulates. These
results support the model that FIS is one of a set of overlapping signals that together contribute to transcription from
rrnp1 promoters during steady-state growth.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, 1550 Linden Dr., Madison, WI
53706. Phone: (608) 262-9813. Fax: (608) 262-9865. E-mail:
rgourse{at}bact.wisc.edu.
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
Husnain, S. I., Thomas, M. S.
(2008). Downregulation of the Escherichia coli guaB promoter by FIS. Microbiology
154: 1729-1738
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Alonso, G., Baptista, K., Ngo, T., Taylor, D. E.
(2005). Transcriptional organization of the temperature-sensitive transfer system from the IncHI1 plasmid R27. Microbiology
151: 3563-3573
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Saint-Ruf, C., Taddei, F., Matic, I.
(2004). Stress and Survival of Aging Escherichia coli rpoS Colonies. Genetics
168: 541-546
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Kelly, A., Goldberg, M. D., Carroll, R. K., Danino, V., Hinton, J. C. D., Dorman, C. J.
(2004). A global role for Fis in the transcriptional control of metabolism and type III secretion in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Microbiology
150: 2037-2053
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Zhi, H., Wang, X., Cabrera, J. E., Johnson, R. C., Jin, D. J.
(2003). Fis Stabilizes the Interaction between RNA Polymerase and the Ribosomal Promoter rrnB P1, Leading to Transcriptional Activation. J. Biol. Chem.
278: 47340-47349
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Schneider, D. A., Gourse, R. L.
(2003). Changes in Escherichia coli rRNA Promoter Activity Correlate with Changes in Initiating Nucleoside Triphosphate and Guanosine 5' Diphosphate 3'-Diphosphate Concentrations after Induction of Feedback Control of Ribosome Synthesis. J. Bacteriol.
185: 6185-6191
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Hirvonen, C. A., Ross, W., Wozniak, C. E., Marasco, E., Anthony, J. R., Aiyar, S. E., Newburn, V. H., Gourse, R. L.
(2001). Contributions of UP Elements and the Transcription Factor FIS to Expression from the Seven rrn P1 Promoters in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol.
183: 6305-6314
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Bartlett, M. S., Gaal, T., Ross, W., Gourse, R. L.
(2000). Regulation of rRNA Transcription Is Remarkably Robust: FIS Compensates for Altered Nucleoside Triphosphate Sensing by Mutant RNA Polymerases at Escherichia coli rrn P1 Promoters. J. Bacteriol.
182: 1969-1977
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Ross, W., Salomon, J., Holmes, W. M., Gourse, R. L.
(1999). Activation of Escherichia coli leuV Transcription by FIS. J. Bacteriol.
181: 3864-3868
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Aiyar, S. E., Gourse, R. L., Ross, W.
(1998). Upstream A-tracts increase bacterial promoter activity through interactions with the RNA polymerase alpha subunit. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
95: 14652-14657
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Beach, M. B., Osuna, R.
(1998). Identification and Characterization of the fis Operon in Enteric Bacteria. J. Bacteriol.
180: 5932-5946
[Abstract]
[Full Text]