This Article Full Text 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 Grundy, F. J. Articles by Henkin, T. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Grundy, F. J. Articles by Henkin, T. M.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, August 2004, p. 5392-5399, Vol. 186, No. 16
0021-9193/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.186.16.5392-5399.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Kinetic Analysis of tRNA-Directed Transcription Antitermination of the Bacillus subtilis glyQS Gene In Vitro

Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210

Received 30 March 2004/ Accepted 5 May 2004

Binding of uncharged tRNA to the nascent transcript promotes readthrough of a leader region transcription termination signal in genes regulated by the T box transcription antitermination mechanism. Each gene in the T box family responds independently to its cognate tRNA, with specificity determined by base pairing of the tRNA to the leader at the anticodon and acceptor ends of the tRNA. tRNA binding stabilizes an antiterminator element in the transcript that sequesters sequences that participate in formation of the terminator helix. tRNA^Gly-dependent antitermination of the Bacillus subtilis glyQS leader was previously demonstrated in a purified in vitro assay system. This assay system was used to investigate the kinetics of transcription through the glyQS leader and the effect of tRNA and transcription elongation factors NusA and NusG on transcriptional pausing and antitermination. Several pause sites, including a major site in the loop of stem III of the leader, were identified, and the effect of modulation of pausing on antitermination efficiency was analyzed. We found that addition of tRNA^Gly can promote antitermination as long as the tRNA is added before the majority of the transcription complexes reach the termination site, and variations in pausing affect the requirements for timing of tRNA addition.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Vitreschak, A. G., Mironov, A. A., Lyubetsky, V. A., Gelfand, M. S. (2008). Comparative genomic analysis of T-box regulatory systems in bacteria. RNA 14: 717-735 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Doherty, G. P., Meredith, D. H., Lewis, P. J. (2006). Subcellular Partitioning of Transcription Factors in Bacillus subtilis. J. Bacteriol. 188: 4101-4110 [Abstract] [Full Text]