A VapBC toxin-antitoxin module is a posttranscriptional regulator of metabolic flux in mycobacteria.

ABSTRACT: The largest family of toxin-antitoxin (TA) modules are encoded by the vapBC operons, but their roles in bacterial physiology remain enigmatic. Microarray analysis in Mycobacterium smegmatis overexpressing VapC/VapBC revealed a high percentage of downregulated genes with annotated roles in carbon transport and metabolism, suggesting that VapC was targeting specific metabolic mRNA transcripts. To validate this hypothesis, purified VapC was used to identify the RNA cleavage site in vitro. VapC had RNase activity that was sequence specific, cleaving single-stranded RNA substrates at AUAU and AUAA in vitro and in vivo (viz., MSMEG_2121 to MSMEG_2124). A bioinformatic analysis of these regions suggested that an RNA hairpin 3' of the AUA(U/A) motif is also required for efficient cleavage. VapC-me

SUBMITTER: McKenzie JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3347065 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature