ABSTRACTThe bacterial BipA protein belongs to the EF-G family of translational GTPases and has been postulated to be either a regulatory translation factor or a ribosome assembly factor. To distinguish between these hypotheses, we analyzed the effect ofbipAdeletion on three phenotypes associated with ribosome assembly factors: cold sensitivity, ribosome subunit distribution, and rRNA processing. We demonstrated that a ΔbipAstrain exhibits a cold-sensitive phenotype that is similar to, and synergistic with, that of a strain with a known ribosome assembly factor,deaD. Additionally, thebipAdeletion strain displayed a perturbed ribosome subunit distribution when grown at low temperature, similar to that of adeaDmutant, and again, the double mutant showed additive effects. The primary ribosomal deficiency noted was a decreased level of the 50S subunit and the appearance of a presumed pre-50S particle. Finally, deletion ofbipAresulted in accumulation of pre23S rRNA, as did deletion ofdeaD. We further found that deletion ofrluC, which encodes a pseudouridine synthase that modifies the 23S rRNA at three sites, suppressed all three phenotypes of thebipAmutant, supporting and extending previous findings. Together, these results suggest that BipA is important for the correct and efficient assembly of the 50S subunit of the ribosome at low temperature but when unmodified by RluC, the ribosomes become BipA independent for assembly.IMPORTANCEThe ribosome is the complex ribonucleoprotein machine responsible for protein synthesis in all cells. Although much has been learned about the structure and function of the ribosome, we do not fully understand how it is assembled or the accessory proteins that increase efficiency of biogenesis and function. This study examined one such protein, BipA. Our results indicate that BipA either directly or indirectly enhances the formation of the 50S subunit of the ribosome, particularly at low temperature. In addition, ribosomes contain a large number of modified nucleosides, including pseudouridines. This work demonstrates that the function of BipA is tied to the modification status of the ribosome and may help us understand why these modifications have been retained.
Efficient Assembly of Ribosomes Is Inhibited by Deletion ofbipAin Escherichia coli