Site specific deletions of regulatory sequences in a ribosomal protein-RNA polymerase operon in Escherichia coli. Effects on beta and beta' gene expression.

AbstractAlthough the key promoter elements necessary to drive transcription inEscherichia colihave long been understood, we still cannot predict the behavior of arbitrary novel promoters, hampering our ability to characterize the myriad of sequenced regulatory architectures as well as to design novel synthetic circuits. This work builds on a beautiful recent experiment by Urtechoet al.who measured the gene expression of over 10,000 promoters spanning all possible combinations of a small set of regulatory elements. Using this data, we demonstrate that a central claim in energy matrix models of gene expression – that each promoter element contributes independently and additively to gene expression – contradicts experimental measurements. We propose that a key missing ingredient from such models is the avidity between the -35 and -10 RNA polymerase binding sites and develop what we call arefined energy matrixmodel that incorporates this effect. We show that this the refined energy matrix model can characterize the full suite of gene expression data and explore several applications of this framework, namely, how multivalent binding at the -35 and -10 sites can buffer RNAP kinetics against mutations and how promoters that bind overly tightly to RNA polymerase can inhibit gene expression. The success of our approach suggests that avidity represents a key physical principle governing the interaction of RNA polymerase to its promoter.Significance StatementCellular behavior is ultimately governed by the genetic program encoded in its DNA and through the arsenal of molecular machines that actively transcribe its genes, yet we lack the ability to predict how an arbitrary DNA sequence will perform. To that end, we analyze the performance of over 10,000 regulatory sequences and develop a model that can predict the behavior of any sequence based on its composition. By considering promoters that only vary by one or two elements, we can characterize how different components interact, providing fundamental insights into the mechanisms of transcription.

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The relationship between the spoT gene, the synthesis of stable RNA, ribosomal proteins, and the ββ′ subunits of RNA polymerase following a nutritional shiftup of Escherichia coli

Canadian Journal of Biochemistry ◽

10.1139/o78-081 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 56 (6) ◽

pp. 528-533 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Stephen M. Boyle ◽

Frederick Chu ◽

Nathan Brot ◽

Bruce H. Sells

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Rna Polymerase ◽

Ribosomal Protein ◽

Ribosomal Proteins ◽

Rna Synthesis ◽

Transient Increase ◽

Spot Gene ◽

The Relationship

The level of ppGpp and rates of synthesis of stable RNA, ribosomal protein, and the β and β′ subunits of RNA polymerase were measured following a nutritional shiftup in Escherichia coli strains, NF 929 (spoT+) and NF 930 (spoT'−). In the spoT+ strain, ppGpp levels decreased 50% within 2 min following shiftup, and the rates of synthesis of stable RNA, ribosomal proteins, and the β and β′ subunits of RNA polymerase increased with little or no lag. In contrast, in the spoT− strain, ppGpp levels transiently increased 40% during the first 6 min following shiftup. An inhibition in the rate of stable RNA synthesis and a delay in the increased synthesis of ribosomal proteins and β and β′ subunits occurred concurrently with the transient increase in ppGpp. In addition, the DNA-dependent synthesis in vitro of the β and β′ subunits of RNA polymerase was inhibited by physiological levels of ppGpp. Because of the timing and magnitude of the changes in ppGpp levels in the spoT− strain versus the timing when the new rates of stable RNA, ribosomal protein, and β and β′ subunits synthesis are reached, it is concluded that ppGpp is not the sole element regulating the expression of these genes.

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Bacterial Two-Hybrid Analysis of Interactions between Region 4 of the ς70 Subunit of RNA Polymerase and the Transcriptional Regulators Rsd from Escherichia coli and AlgQ from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Journal of Bacteriology ◽

10.1128/jb.183.21.6413-6421.2001 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 183 (21) ◽

pp. 6413-6421 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Simon L. Dove ◽

Ann Hochschild

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Escherichia Coli ◽

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽

Amino Acid ◽

Rna Polymerase ◽

Amino Acid Substitution ◽

Transcriptional Regulators ◽

Binding Motif ◽

E Coli ◽

Two Hybrid

ABSTRACT A number of transcriptional regulators mediate their effects through direct contact with the ς70 subunit ofEscherichia coli RNA polymerase (RNAP). In particular, several regulators have been shown to contact a C-terminal portion of ς70 that harbors conserved region 4. This region of ς contains a putative helix-turn-helix DNA-binding motif that contacts the −35 element of ς70-dependent promoters directly. Here we report the use of a recently developed bacterial two-hybrid system to study the interaction between the putative anti-ς factor Rsd and the ς70 subunit of E. coli RNAP. Using this system, we found that Rsd can interact with an 86-amino-acid C-terminal fragment of ς70 and also that amino acid substitution R596H, within region 4 of ς70, weakens this interaction. We demonstrated the specificity of this effect by showing that substitution R596H does not weaken the interaction between ς and two other regulators shown previously to contact region 4 of ς70. We also demonstrated that AlgQ, a homolog of Rsd that positively regulates virulence gene expression inPseudomonas aeruginosa, can contact the C-terminal region of the ς70 subunit of RNAP from this organism. We found that amino acid substitution R600H in ς70 fromP. aeruginosa, corresponding to the R596H substitution in E. coli ς70, specifically weakens the interaction between AlgQ and ς70. Taken together, our findings suggest that Rsd and AlgQ contact similar surfaces of RNAP present in region 4 of ς70 and probably regulate gene expression through this contact.

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