Abstract
The yigP locus is widely conserved among γ-proteobacteria. Mutation of the yigP locus impacts aerobic growth of Gram-negative bacteria. However, the underlying mechanism of how the yigP locus influences aerobic growth remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrated that the yigP locus in Escherichia coli encodes two transcripts; the mRNA of ubiquinone biosynthesis protein, UbiJ, and the 3′ untranslated region small regulatory RNA (sRNA), EsrE. EsrE is an independent transcript that is transcribed using an internal promoter of the yigP locus. Surprisingly, we found that both the EsrE sRNA and UbiJ protein were required for Q8 biosynthesis, and were sufficient to rescue the growth defect ascribed to deletion of the yigP locus. Moreover, our data showed that EsrE targeted multiple mRNAs involved in several cellular processes including murein biosynthesis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Among these targets, sdhD mRNA that encodes one subunit of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), was significantly activated. Our findings provided an insight into the important function of EsrE in bacterial adaptation to various environments, as well as coordinating different aspects of bacterial physiology.
Highlights
Gene regulation, which occurs at multiple levels including transcriptional and post-translational control, is a vital mechanism across all domains of life (Bobrovskyy and Vanderpool, 2013)
The yigP locus was renamed ubiJ that was characterized as an important element for Q8 biosynthesis in Salmonella and E. coli under aerobic conditions (Aussel et al, 2014a)
Aussel et al (2014a) believed that the aerobic growth defect was attributed to the blockage of Q8 biosynthesis due to mutant yigP locus
Summary
Gene regulation, which occurs at multiple levels including transcriptional and post-translational control, is a vital mechanism across all domains of life (Bobrovskyy and Vanderpool, 2013). EsrE Involves in ETC of E. coli principally inhibits the translation and/or induces the degradation of their target mRNAs in a ribonuclease E (RNase E)-dependent manner (Masse and Gottesman, 2002; Masse et al, 2003; Morita et al, 2005; Frohlich and Vogel, 2009) Compared to their negative effect on gene expression, the positive regulation by sRNAs remains largely unknown (Papenfort and Vanderpool, 2015). The 3 untranslated region (UTR) sRNAs belong to a newly characterized non-intergenic class They are produced by either mRNA processing or transcription from independent promoters within genes. In both cases, the 3 UTR sRNAs share the same sequences with the 3 regions of the coding genes (Miyakoshi et al, 2015b). These 3 UTR sRNAs pose a challenge for ongoing gene or locus function characterization
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