TY - JOUR
T1 - A pH-responsive riboregulator
AU - Nechooshtan, Gal
AU - Elgrably-Weiss, Maya
AU - Sheaffer, Abigail
AU - Westhof, Eric
AU - Altuvia, Shoshy
PY - 2009/11/15
Y1 - 2009/11/15
N2 - The locus alx, which encodes a putative transporter, was discovered previously in a screen for genes induced under extreme alkaline conditions. Here we show that the RNA region preceding the alx ORF acts as a pH-responsive element, which, in response to high pH, leads to an increase in alx expression. Under normal growth conditions this RNA region forms a translationally inactive structure, but when exposed to high pH, a translationally active structure is formed to produce Alx. Formation of the active structure occurs while transcription is in progress under alkaline conditions and involves pausing of RNA polymerase at two distinct sites. Alkali increases the longevity of pausing at these sites and thereby interferes with formation of the inactive structure and promotes folding of the active one. The alx locus represents the first example of a pH-responsive riboregulator of gene expression, introducing a novel regulatory mechanism that involves RNA folding dynamics driven by pH.
AB - The locus alx, which encodes a putative transporter, was discovered previously in a screen for genes induced under extreme alkaline conditions. Here we show that the RNA region preceding the alx ORF acts as a pH-responsive element, which, in response to high pH, leads to an increase in alx expression. Under normal growth conditions this RNA region forms a translationally inactive structure, but when exposed to high pH, a translationally active structure is formed to produce Alx. Formation of the active structure occurs while transcription is in progress under alkaline conditions and involves pausing of RNA polymerase at two distinct sites. Alkali increases the longevity of pausing at these sites and thereby interferes with formation of the inactive structure and promotes folding of the active one. The alx locus represents the first example of a pH-responsive riboregulator of gene expression, introducing a novel regulatory mechanism that involves RNA folding dynamics driven by pH.
KW - Alkaline conditions
KW - RNA regulator
KW - Transcriptional pausing
KW - Translation control
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=72749118512&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1101/gad.552209
DO - 10.1101/gad.552209
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C2 - 19933154
AN - SCOPUS:72749118512
SN - 0890-9369
VL - 23
SP - 2650
EP - 2662
JO - Genes and Development
JF - Genes and Development
IS - 22
ER -