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PMID: 6810064 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Translational attenuation of ermC: a deletion analysis.

Molecular & general genetics : MGG ·Vol. 186 ·No. 2 ·1982-00-00 ·Pages 204-16

Hahn J, Grandi G, Gryczan TJ, Dubnau D

Abstract

ermC is a plasmid gene which specifies resistance to macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B antibiotics. The product of ermC was previously shown to be an inducible rRNA methylase, which is regulated translationally, and a mechanism for this regulation, termed the translational attenuation model, has been proposed. This model postulates that alternative inactive and active conformational states of the ermC mRNA are modulated by erythromycin-induced ribosome-stalling during translation of a leader peptide. In the present study the translational attenuation model was tested by constructing a series of deletants missing the ermC promoter and portions of the regulatory (leading) region. In these mutants, ermC transcription is dependent on fusion to an upstream promoter. Depending on the terminus of each deletion within the regulatory region, determined by DNA sequencing, ermC expression is observed to be either high level and inducible (like the wild-type), high level and noninducible, or low level and noninducible. The translational attenuation model predicts that as the deletions extend deeper into the leader region, successively masking and unmasking sequences required for translation of the methylase, an alternation of high and low level methylase expression will be observed. These predictions are confirmed. Based on this and other information, the model is refined and extended, and both direct translational activation and kinetic trapping of a metastable active intermediate during transcription are proposed to explain basal synthesis of methylase and to rationalize the effects of certain regulatory mutants.

MeSH Terms
Bacillus subtilis/genetics Base Sequence Erythromycin/pharmacology Gene Expression Regulation Genes Nucleic Acid Conformation Operon Protein Biosynthesis R Factors RNA, Messenger/genetics Ribosomes/metabolism tRNA Methyltransferases/genetics
Chemicals
RNA, Messenger Erythromycin tRNA Methyltransferases
Authors & Affiliations
4 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Hahn J
Grandi G
Gryczan T J
Dubnau D
References (58)
58 references, click to expand
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Article Info
Journal
Molecular & general genetics : MGG
Abbr.
Mol Gen Genet
ISSN
0026-8925
DOI
10.1007/BF00331851
Published
1982-00-00
Pages
204-16
Language
English
Region
Germany
NLM ID
0125036
Subset
IM
Grants
NIAID NIH HHS · AI-10311 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · AI-17472 · United States
Databases
GENBANK
J01755, J01756, J01757, J01758
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1007/BF00331851
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