Phenotypic consequences of RNA polymerase dysregulation in Escherichia
coli
coli
File(s)
Accepted version
Published version
Author(s)
Sarkar, P
Switzer, A
Peters, C
Pogliano, J
Wigneshweraraj, S
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Many bacterial adaptive responses to changes in growth conditions due to biotic and abiotic factors involve reprogramming of gene expression at the transcription level. The bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP), which catalyzes transcription, can thus be considered as the major mediator of cellular adaptive strategies. But how do bacteria respond if a stress factor directly compromises the activity of the RNAP? We used a phage-derived small protein to specifically perturb bacterial RNAP activity in exponentially growing Escherichia coli. Using cytological profiling, tracking RNAP behavior at single-molecule level and transcriptome analysis, we reveal that adaptation to conditions that directly perturb bacterial RNAP performance can result in a biphasic growth behavior and thereby confer the ‘adapted’ bacterial cells an enhanced ability to tolerate diverse antibacterial stresses. The results imply that while synthetic transcriptional rewiring may confer bacteria with the intended desirable properties, such approaches may also collaterally allow them to acquire undesirable traits.
Date Issued
2017-08-23
Date Acceptance
2017-08-08
Citation
Nucleic Acids Research, 2017, 45 (19), pp.11131-11143
ISSN
1362-4962
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Start Page
11131
End Page
11143
Journal / Book Title
Nucleic Acids Research
Volume
45
Issue
19
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which
permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which
permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
GENERAL STRESS-RESPONSE
MESSENGER-RNA
T7 GP2
TRANSCRIPTION
ORGANIZATION
TRANSLATION
INHIBITION
RESISTANCE
MECHANISM
PROTEIN
05 Environmental Sciences
06 Biological Sciences
08 Information And Computing Sciences
Developmental Biology
Publication Status
Published