Transfer RNA instability as a stress response in Escherichia coli: rapid dynamics of the tRNA pool as a function of demand

TY - JOUR

T1 - Transfer RNA instability as a stress response in Escherichia coli

T2 - rapid dynamics of the tRNA pool as a function of demand

AU - Sørensen, Michael Askvad

AU - Fehler, Annaleigh Ohrt

AU - Svenningsen, Sine Lo

PY - 2018/5/4

Y1 - 2018/5/4

N2 - Production of the translation apparatus of E. coli is carefully matched to the demand for protein synthesis posed by a given growth condition. For example, the fraction of RNA polymerases that transcribe rRNA and tRNA drops from 80% during rapid growth to 24% within minutes of a sudden amino acid starvation. We recently reported in Nucleic Acids Research that the tRNA pool is more dynamically regulated than previously thought. In addition to the regulation at the level of synthesis, we found that tRNAs are subject to demand-based regulation at the level of their degradation. In this point-of-view article we address the question of why this phenomenon has not previously been described. We also present data that expands on the mechanism of tRNA degradation, and we discuss the possible implications of tRNA instability for the ability of E. coli to cope with stresses that affect the translation process.

AB - Production of the translation apparatus of E. coli is carefully matched to the demand for protein synthesis posed by a given growth condition. For example, the fraction of RNA polymerases that transcribe rRNA and tRNA drops from 80% during rapid growth to 24% within minutes of a sudden amino acid starvation. We recently reported in Nucleic Acids Research that the tRNA pool is more dynamically regulated than previously thought. In addition to the regulation at the level of synthesis, we found that tRNAs are subject to demand-based regulation at the level of their degradation. In this point-of-view article we address the question of why this phenomenon has not previously been described. We also present data that expands on the mechanism of tRNA degradation, and we discuss the possible implications of tRNA instability for the ability of E. coli to cope with stresses that affect the translation process.

U2 - 10.1080/15476286.2017.1391440

DO - 10.1080/15476286.2017.1391440

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 29023189

SN - 1547-6286

VL - 15

SP - 586

EP - 593

JO - RNA Biology

JF - RNA Biology

IS - 4/5

ER -