A nucleotide sequence in the translation start signal region is involved in heat shock-induced translation arrest in Escherichia coli

• Published in: FEBS letters 1990-05, Vol.264 (1), p.121-124
• Main Author: Kuriki, Yoshitaka
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli - genetics; Escherichia coli - growth & development; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene amp; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Gene fus; Gene gInS; Gene pheT; Gene rpoB; Genes, Bacterial; Heat shock; Heat-Shock Proteins - genetics; Hot Temperature; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; Oligonucleotide Probes; Plasmids; Protein Biosynthesis; Protein Sorting Signals - genetics; Restriction Mapping; Temperature; Translation arrest; Translation start signal; Translation. Translation factors. Protein processing
• ISSN: 0014-5793; 1873-3468
• DOI: 10.1016/0014-5793(90)80780-M

In Escherichia coli synthesis of several proteins is transiently depressed upon heat shock treatment. A comparison of nucleotide sequences of the genes encoding these proteins revealed the occurrence of a consensus sequence, GAGGAA(N) 3–6 ATG, in their translation start signal region. To examine whether this sequence is involved in heat shock-induced depression of protein synthesis, DNA segments corresponding to this region of four of these genes, fusA, rpoB, glnS, and pheT, were synthesized, and each of them was fused in frame with the lacZ gene on the open reading frame vector pORFl. The effect of heat shock on the synthesis of β-galactosidase encoded by these fused genes was then studied in E. coli. It was thus found that β-galactosidase synthesis starting from the inserted translation start signal was arrested transiently upon temperature shift-up from 30 to 42°C. I conclude that the heat shock-induced depression of gene expression is an event taking place at the initiation of translation.