Alternative ribosomal proteins are required for growth and morphogenesis of Mycobacterium smegmatis under zinc limiting conditions.

ABSTRACT: Zinc is an essential micronutrient required for proper structure and function of many proteins. Bacteria regularly encounter zinc depletion and have evolved diverse mechanisms to continue growth when zinc is limited, including the expression of zinc-independent paralogs of zinc-binding proteins. Mycobacteria have a conserved operon encoding four zinc-independent alternative ribosomal proteins (AltRPs) that are expressed when zinc is depleted. It is unknown if mycobacterial AltRPs replace their primary paralogs in the ribosome and maintain protein synthesis under zinc-limited conditions, and if such replacements contribute to their physiology. This study shows that AltRPs from Mycobacterium smegmatis are essential for growth when zinc ion is scarce. Specifically, the deletion mutant of this

SUBMITTER: Dow A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5912738 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature