Rapid cleavage of RNA by RNase E in the absence of 5' monophosphate stimulation.

ABSTRACT: The best characterized pathway for the initiation of mRNA degradation in Escherichia coli involves the removal of the 5'-terminal pyrophosphate to generate a monophosphate group that stimulates endonucleolytic cleavage by RNase E. We show here however, using well-characterized oligonucleotide substrates and mRNA transcripts, that RNase E can cleave certain RNAs rapidly without requiring a 5'-monophosphorylated end. Moreover, the minimum substrate requirement for this mode of cleavage, which can be categorized as 'direct' or 'internal' entry, appears to be multiple single-stranded segments in a conformational context that allows their simultaneous interaction with RNase E. While previous work has alluded to the existence of a 5' end-independent mechanism of mRNA degradation, the relative si

SUBMITTER: Kime L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2948425 | biostudies-literature | 2010 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature