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Impairment of ribosomal subunit synthesis in aminoglycoside-treated ribonuclease mutants of Escherichia coli

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Abstract

The bacterial ribosome is an important target for many antimicrobial agents. Aminoglycoside antibiotics bind to both 30S and 50S ribosomal subunits, inhibiting translation and subunit formation. During ribosomal subunit biogenesis, ribonucleases (RNases) play an important role in rRNA processing. E. coli cells deficient for specific processing RNases are predicted to have an increased sensitivity to neomycin and paromomycin. Four RNase mutant strains showed an increased growth sensitivity to both aminoglycoside antibiotics. E. coli strains deficient for the rRNA processing enzymes RNase III, RNase E, RNase G or RNase PH showed significantly reduced subunit amounts after antibiotic treatment. A substantial increase in a 16S RNA precursor molecule was observed as well. Ribosomal RNA turnover was stimulated, and an enhancement of 16S and 23S rRNA fragmentation was detected in E. coli cells deficient for these enzymes. This work indicates that bacterial RNases may be novel antimicrobial targets.

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Acknowledgments

Mutant RNase-deficient E. coli strains were gifts from Dr. Murray Deutscher (University of Miami) and Dr. Sidney Kushner (University of Georgia). This research was supported by an NIH AREA grant and an ETSU Graduate School research grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, 37614, USA

    Ashley D. Frazier & W. S. Champney

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  1. Ashley D. Frazier
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  2. W. S. Champney
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Correspondence to W. S. Champney.

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Communicated by Erko Stackebrandt.

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Frazier, A.D., Champney, W.S. Impairment of ribosomal subunit synthesis in aminoglycoside-treated ribonuclease mutants of Escherichia coli . Arch Microbiol 194, 1033–1041 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-012-0839-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-012-0839-5

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