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Polyadenylic acid sequences in E. coli messenger RNA

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Abstract

IT is commonly assumed that the messenger RNA (mRNA) of prokaryotes lacks the poly(A) sequences which characterise the 3′ terminus of most mRNA of eukaryotes. A report of the absence of poly(A) sequences from both pulse labelled and stable RNA of Escherichia coli1 is often cited as evidence for such a distinction. This apparent difference has generated speculations ranging from the role of poly(A) sequences in regulating the longevity of eukaryotic mRNA molecules1, to the evolutionary origin of mitochondria2 in which poly(A) sequences have been found in a messenger-like RNA2–5. Such speculations prompted us to re-examine evidence for AMP-rich sequences in E. coli reported6 before poly(A) sequences were known to be attached to mRNA in animal cells7–9. We have found that RNA molecules can be isolated from E. coli with the techniques developed for the isolation of poly(A) containing RNA of eukaryotes10 which have properties of mRNA and contain poly(A) sequence at their 3′ terminus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15261

    HIROSHI NAKAZATO, S. VENKATESAN & MARY EDMONDS

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  1. HIROSHI NAKAZATO
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  2. S. VENKATESAN
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  3. MARY EDMONDS
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NAKAZATO, H., VENKATESAN, S. & EDMONDS, M. Polyadenylic acid sequences in E. coli messenger RNA. Nature 256, 144–146 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/256144a0

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