Summary
A unique feature of the spc ribosomal protein operon is that its region distal to the promoter contains a gene (secY) for an integral membrane protein, followed by an open reading frame termed X which has recently been proposed to encode a new ribosomal protein (protein B). We now show that the open reading frame X indeed directs the synthesis of a protein with electrophoretic mobilities similar to the B protein, and this supports the proposal that X may be more appropriately called rpmJ. Insertion of a plasmid sequence into the secY-rpmJ boundary of the chromosome caused a reduced expression of secY probably by destabilizing the secY part of the message. The results of complementation experiments suggested that a normal level of expression of rpmJ is not required for growth or protein secretion.
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Ueguchi, C., Wittekind, M., Nomura, M. et al. The secY-rpmJ region of the spc ribosomal protein operon in Escherichia coli: Structural alterations affecting secY expression. Mol Gen Genet 217, 1–5 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00330934
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00330934