A Novel RNA Phosphorylation State Enables 5' End-Dependent Degradation in Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT: RNA modifications that once escaped detection are now thought to be pivotal for governing RNA lifetimes in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. For example, converting the 5'-terminal triphosphate of bacterial transcripts to a monophosphate triggers 5' end-dependent degradation by RNase E. However, the existence of diphosphorylated RNA in bacteria has never been reported, and no biological role for such a modification has ever been proposed. By using a novel assay, we show here for representative Escherichia coli mRNAs that ~35%-50% of each transcript is diphosphorylated. The remainder is primarily monophosphorylated, with surprisingly little triphosphorylated RNA evident. Furthermore, diphosphorylated RNA is the preferred substrate of the RNA pyrophosphohydrolase RppH, whose biological functi

SUBMITTER: Luciano DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5542582 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature