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Growth rate-dependent regulation of RNA polymerase synthesis in Escherichia coli

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Summary

The rate of synthesis of the β and β′ subunits of RNA polymerase relative to the rate of synthesis of total protein was found to remain constant with increasing steady state growth rate. This is in contrast to the relative synthesis rates of ribosomal proteins which are known to increase with growth rate. Yet the ratio of the rate of transcription of the ribosomal protein (rplJL) and RNA polymerase (rpoBC) domains of the rplKAJLrpoBC gene cluster was found to be invariant. Fusions to lacZ were used to relate the rate of transcription of the rplKAJL genes to the rate of synthesis of total protein. No change was seen at growth rates above 0.8 doublings per hour. This indicates that the growth rate-dependent expression of these ribosomal proteins is regulated at the post-transcriptional level. However because both the relative rate of transcription of rpoBC and rate of synthesis of β and β′ were found to remain invariant over this growth range it suggests the expression of these RNA polymerase subunits is regulated at the transcriptional level.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Western Ontario, N6A 5C1, London, Ontario, Canada

    Geoffrey Ralling, Sharon Bodrug & Thomas Linn

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  1. Geoffrey Ralling
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  2. Sharon Bodrug
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  3. Thomas Linn
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Communicated by G.R. Smith

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Ralling, G., Bodrug, S. & Linn, T. Growth rate-dependent regulation of RNA polymerase synthesis in Escherichia coli . Molec Gen Genet 201, 379–386 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00331327

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00331327

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