Biomaterial Database

Stationary phase, amino acid limitation and recovery from stationary phase modulate the stability and translation of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase mRNA and total mRNA in Escherichia coli. 1998

Ann E S Kuzj, and Poonam S Medberry, and Janet L Schottel

The functional stability of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (cat) mRNA, as well as the functional stability of the total mRNA pool, change during the course of Escherichia coli culture growth. mRNA half-lives are long during lag phase, decrease during the exponential phase and increase again during the stationary phase of the bacterial growth cycle. The half-lives of cat mRNA and total mRNA also increase three- to fourfold during amino acid starvation when compared to exponential culture growth. Even though the stability of the cat message changes about fourfold during culture growth, the amount of cat mRNA per cell mass does not vary significantly between the culture growth phases, indicating that there are compensating changes in cat gene transcription. Translation of cat mRNA also changes during culture growth. In exponential phase, the rate of cat translation is about 14-fold higher than when the culture is in stationary phase. This is in contrast to the fourfold increase in stability of cat mRNA in the stationary-phase culture compared to the exponentially growing culture and indicates that active translation is not correlated with increased mRNA stability. When a stationary-phase culture was diluted into fresh medium, there was a five- to sevenfold increase in CAT synthesis and a threefold increase in total protein synthesis in the presence or absence of rifampicin. These results suggest that while mRNA becomes generally more stable and less translated in the stationary-phase culture, the mRNA is available for immediate translation when nutrients are provided to the culture even when transcription is inhibited.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007930	Leucine	An essential branched-chain amino acid important for hemoglobin formation.	L-Leucine,Leucine, L-Isomer,L-Isomer Leucine,Leucine, L Isomer
D011233	Precipitin Tests	Serologic tests in which a positive reaction manifested by visible CHEMICAL PRECIPITATION occurs when a soluble ANTIGEN reacts with its precipitins, i.e., ANTIBODIES that can form a precipitate.	Precipitin Test,Test, Precipitin,Tests, Precipitin
D011500	Protein Synthesis Inhibitors	Compounds which inhibit the synthesis of proteins. They are usually ANTI-BACTERIAL AGENTS or toxins. Mechanism of the action of inhibition includes the interruption of peptide-chain elongation, the blocking the A site of ribosomes, the misreading of the genetic code or the prevention of the attachment of oligosaccharide side chains to glycoproteins.	Protein Synthesis Antagonist,Protein Synthesis Antagonists,Protein Synthesis Inhibitor,Antagonist, Protein Synthesis,Antagonists, Protein Synthesis,Inhibitor, Protein Synthesis,Inhibitors, Protein Synthesis,Synthesis Antagonist, Protein,Synthesis Inhibitor, Protein
D003470	Culture Media	Any liquid or solid preparation made specifically for the growth, storage, or transport of microorganisms or other types of cells. The variety of media that exist allow for the culturing of specific microorganisms and cell types, such as differential media, selective media, test media, and defined media. Solid media consist of liquid media that have been solidified with an agent such as AGAR or GELATIN.	Media, Culture
D004795	Enzyme Stability	The extent to which an enzyme retains its structural conformation or its activity when subjected to storage, isolation, and purification or various other physical or chemical manipulations, including proteolytic enzymes and heat.	Enzyme Stabilities,Stabilities, Enzyme,Stability, Enzyme
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
D006207	Half-Life	The time it takes for a substance (drug, radioactive nuclide, or other) to lose half of its pharmacologic, physiologic, or radiologic activity.	Halflife,Half Life,Half-Lifes,Halflifes
D012293	Rifampin	A semisynthetic antibiotic produced from Streptomyces mediterranei. It has a broad antibacterial spectrum, including activity against several forms of Mycobacterium. In susceptible organisms it inhibits DNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity by forming a stable complex with the enzyme. It thus suppresses the initiation of RNA synthesis. Rifampin is bactericidal, and acts on both intracellular and extracellular organisms. (From Gilman et al., Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 9th ed, p1160)	Rifampicin,Benemycin,Rifadin,Rimactan,Rimactane,Tubocin
D012329	RNA, Bacterial	Ribonucleic acid in bacteria having regulatory and catalytic roles as well as involvement in protein synthesis.	Bacterial RNA
D012333	RNA, Messenger	RNA sequences that serve as templates for protein synthesis. Bacterial mRNAs are generally primary transcripts in that they do not require post-transcriptional processing. Eukaryotic mRNA is synthesized in the nucleus and must be exported to the cytoplasm for translation. Most eukaryotic mRNAs have a sequence of polyadenylic acid at the 3' end, referred to as the poly(A) tail. The function of this tail is not known for certain, but it may play a role in the export of mature mRNA from the nucleus as well as in helping stabilize some mRNA molecules by retarding their degradation in the cytoplasm.	Messenger RNA,Messenger RNA, Polyadenylated,Poly(A) Tail,Poly(A)+ RNA,Poly(A)+ mRNA,RNA, Messenger, Polyadenylated,RNA, Polyadenylated,mRNA,mRNA, Non-Polyadenylated,mRNA, Polyadenylated,Non-Polyadenylated mRNA,Poly(A) RNA,Polyadenylated mRNA,Non Polyadenylated mRNA,Polyadenylated Messenger RNA,Polyadenylated RNA,RNA, Polyadenylated Messenger,mRNA, Non Polyadenylated