TY - JOUR
T1 - An Escherichia coli chromosomal "addiction module" regulated by 3′,5′-bispyrophosphate
T2 - A model for programmed bacterial cell death
AU - Aizenman, Einat
AU - Engelberg-Kulka, Hanna
AU - Glaser, Gad
PY - 1996/6/11
Y1 - 1996/6/11
N2 - "Addiction modules" consist of two genes. In most of them the product of one is long lived and toxic while the product of the second is short lived and antagonizes the toxic effect; so far, they have been described mainly in a number of prokaryotic extrachromosomal elements responsible for the postsegregational killing effect. Here we show that the chromosomal genes mazE and mazf, located in the Escherichia coli rel operon, have all of the properties required for an addiction module. Furthermore, the expression of mazEF is regulated by the cellular level of 3′,5′-bispyrophosphate, the product of the RelA protein under amino acid starvation. These properties suggest that the mazEF system may be responsible for programmed cell death in E. coli and thus may have a role in the physiology of starvation.
AB - "Addiction modules" consist of two genes. In most of them the product of one is long lived and toxic while the product of the second is short lived and antagonizes the toxic effect; so far, they have been described mainly in a number of prokaryotic extrachromosomal elements responsible for the postsegregational killing effect. Here we show that the chromosomal genes mazE and mazf, located in the Escherichia coli rel operon, have all of the properties required for an addiction module. Furthermore, the expression of mazEF is regulated by the cellular level of 3′,5′-bispyrophosphate, the product of the RelA protein under amino acid starvation. These properties suggest that the mazEF system may be responsible for programmed cell death in E. coli and thus may have a role in the physiology of starvation.
KW - Nutritional stress
KW - Programmed cell death
KW - Protein degradation
KW - Stringent response
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0030008368&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1073/pnas.93.12.6059
DO - 10.1073/pnas.93.12.6059
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C2 - 8650219
AN - SCOPUS:0030008368
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 93
SP - 6059
EP - 6063
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 12
ER -