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Effects of N-terminal deletions of the Escherichia coli protein Fis on growth rate, tRNA Ser2 expression and cell morphology

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Abstract

The Escherichia coli Fis protein is known to be involved in a variety of processes, including the activation of stable RNA operons. In this paper we study the ability of a set of N-terminal Fis deletion mutants to stimulate transcription of the tRNA Ser2 gene. The results indicate that the domain of the Fis protein containing residues 1–26 is not required for transcription activation. The Fis mutants that are still active in transcription stimulation can also complement the reduced growth rates of Fis− cells, suggesting that the same activating domain is involved in this phenomenon. In addition, we show that in fast growing cultures in the absence of an active Fis protein, minicells are formed. These minicells seem to arise from septum formation near the cell poles. Suppression of minicell formation by Fis also does not require the presence of the N-terminal domain of the protein.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Gorlaeus Laboratories, Leiden University, PO Box 9502, 2300, RA Leiden, The Netherlands

    Liesbeth Spaeny-Dekking, Pieter van de Putte & Nora Goosen

  2. Department of Molecular Biology, BMC, Uppsala University, Box 590, S-751 24, Uppsala, Sweden

    Lars Nilsson

  3. Department of Human Anatomy, BMC, Uppsala University, Box 571, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden

    Anna von Euler

Authors
  1. Liesbeth Spaeny-Dekking
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  2. Lars Nilsson
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  3. Anna von Euler
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  4. Pieter van de Putte
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  5. Nora Goosen
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Communicated by C. A. M. J. J. van den Hondel

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Spaeny-Dekking, L., Nilsson, L., von Euler, A. et al. Effects of N-terminal deletions of the Escherichia coli protein Fis on growth rate, tRNA Ser2 expression and cell morphology. Molec. Gen. Genet. 246, 259–265 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00294690

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00294690

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