Escherichia coli endoribonuclease RNase E: autoregulation of expression and site-specific cleavage of mRNA.

Mutations in the Escherichia coli rne (ams) gene have a general effect on the rate of mRNA decay in vivo. Using antibodies we have shown that the product of the rne gene is a polypeptide of relative mobility 180 kDa. However, proteolytic fragments as small as 70 kDa, which can arise during purification, also exhibit RNase E activity. In vitro studies demonstrate that the rne gene product, RNase E, is an endoribonuclease that cleaves mRNA at specific sites. RNase E cleaves rne mRNA and autoregulates the expression of the rne gene. In addition we demonstrate RNase E-dependent endonucleolytic cleavage of ompA mRNA, at a site known to be rate-determining for degradation and reported to be cleaved by RNase K. Our data are consistent with RNase K being a proteolytic fragment of RNase E.