Prediction of transcriptional terminators in Bacillus subtilis and related species. 2005

Michiel J L de Hoon, and Yuko Makita, and Kenta Nakai, and Satoru Miyano
Human Genome Center, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan. mdehoon@c2b2.columbia.edu

In prokaryotes, genes belonging to the same operon are transcribed in a single mRNA molecule. Transcription starts as the RNA polymerase binds to the promoter and continues until it reaches a transcriptional terminator. Some terminators rely on the presence of the Rho protein, whereas others function independently of Rho. Such Rho-independent terminators consist of an inverted repeat followed by a stretch of thymine residues, allowing us to predict their presence directly from the DNA sequence. Unlike in Escherichia coli, the Rho protein is dispensable in Bacillus subtilis, suggesting a limited role for Rho-dependent termination in this organism and possibly in other Firmicutes. We analyzed 463 experimentally known terminating sequences in B. subtilis and found a decision rule to distinguish Rho-independent transcriptional terminators from non-terminating sequences. The decision rule allowed us to find the boundaries of operons in B. subtilis with a sensitivity and specificity of about 94%. Using the same decision rule, we found an average sensitivity of 94% for 57 bacteria belonging to the Firmicutes phylum, and a considerably lower sensitivity for other bacteria. Our analysis shows that Rho-independent termination is dominant for Firmicutes in general, and that the properties of the transcriptional terminators are conserved. Terminator prediction can be used to reliably predict the operon structure in these organisms, even in the absence of experimentally known operons. Genome-wide predictions of Rho-independent terminators for the 57 Firmicutes are available in the Supporting Information section.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D004926 Escherichia coli A species of gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria (GRAM-NEGATIVE FACULTATIVELY ANAEROBIC RODS) commonly found in the lower part of the intestine of warm-blooded animals. It is usually nonpathogenic, but some strains are known to produce DIARRHEA and pyogenic infections. Pathogenic strains (virotypes) are classified by their specific pathogenic mechanisms such as toxins (ENTEROTOXIGENIC ESCHERICHIA COLI), etc. Alkalescens-Dispar Group,Bacillus coli,Bacterium coli,Bacterium coli commune,Diffusely Adherent Escherichia coli,E coli,EAggEC,Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli,Enterococcus coli,Diffusely Adherent E. coli,Enteroaggregative E. coli,Enteroinvasive E. coli,Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli
D005798 Genes, Bacterial The functional hereditary units of BACTERIA. Bacterial Gene,Bacterial Genes,Gene, Bacterial
D001412 Bacillus subtilis A species of gram-positive bacteria that is a common soil and water saprophyte. Natto Bacteria,Bacillus subtilis (natto),Bacillus subtilis subsp. natto,Bacillus subtilis var. natto
D001483 Base Sequence The sequence of PURINES and PYRIMIDINES in nucleic acids and polynucleotides. It is also called nucleotide sequence. DNA Sequence,Nucleotide Sequence,RNA Sequence,DNA Sequences,Base Sequences,Nucleotide Sequences,RNA Sequences,Sequence, Base,Sequence, DNA,Sequence, Nucleotide,Sequence, RNA,Sequences, Base,Sequences, DNA,Sequences, Nucleotide,Sequences, RNA
D012234 Rho Factor A protein which effects termination of RNA synthesis during the genetic transcription process by dissociating the ternary transcription complex RNA;-RNA POLYMERASE DNA at the termination of a gene. E Coli Transcription Termination Factor,Factor, Rho
D013728 Terminator Regions, Genetic DNA sequences recognized as signals to end GENETIC TRANSCRIPTION. Terminator Sequence,Transcriptional Terminator Regions,Terminator Regions,Genetic Terminator Region,Genetic Terminator Regions,Region, Genetic Terminator,Region, Terminator,Region, Transcriptional Terminator,Regions, Genetic Terminator,Regions, Terminator,Regions, Transcriptional Terminator,Sequence, Terminator,Sequences, Terminator,Terminator Region,Terminator Region, Genetic,Terminator Region, Transcriptional,Terminator Regions, Transcriptional,Terminator Sequences,Transcriptional Terminator Region
D013941 Thymine One of four constituent bases of DNA. 5-Methyluracil,5 Methyluracil
D014158 Transcription, Genetic The biosynthesis of RNA carried out on a template of DNA. The biosynthesis of DNA from an RNA template is called REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION. Genetic Transcription
D019295 Computational Biology A field of biology concerned with the development of techniques for the collection and manipulation of biological data, and the use of such data to make biological discoveries or predictions. This field encompasses all computational methods and theories for solving biological problems including manipulation of models and datasets. Bioinformatics,Molecular Biology, Computational,Bio-Informatics,Biology, Computational,Computational Molecular Biology,Bio Informatics,Bio-Informatic,Bioinformatic,Biologies, Computational Molecular,Biology, Computational Molecular,Computational Molecular Biologies,Molecular Biologies, Computational

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