Cell-wall synthesis and ribosome maturation are co-regulated by an RNA switch in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

ABSTRACT: The success of Mycobacterium tuberculosis relies on the ability to switch between active growth and non-replicating persistence, associated with latent TB infection. Resuscitation promoting factors (Rpfs) are essential for the transition between these states. Rpf expression is tightly regulated as these enzymes are able to degrade the cell wall, and hence potentially lethal to the bacterium itself. We have identified a regulatory element in the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of rpfB. We demonstrate that this element is a transcriptionally regulated RNA switch/riboswitch candidate, which appears to be restricted to pathogenic mycobacteria, suggesting a role in virulence. We have used translation start site mapping to re-annotate the RpfB start codon and identified and validated a ribosome bin

SUBMITTER: Schwenk S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6009663 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature