Role of the sequence of the rne-dependent site in 3' processing of M1 RNA, the catalytic component of Escherichia coli RNase P

Processing of m1 RNA at the 3' end protects its primary transcript from degradation

M1 RNA, the catalytic subunit of Escherichia coli RNase P, is an essential ribozyme that processes the 5' leader sequence of precursor tRNAs. It is generated by the removal of 36 nucleotides from the 3' end of the primary rnpB transcript (pM1 RNA), but the biological significance of this reaction in bacterial metabolism remains obscure. In this study, we constructed and analyzed bacterial strains carrying mutations in the rne-dependent site of their rnpB genes, showing that the 3' processing of M1 RNA is essential for cell viability. Furthermore, we demonstrate that pM1 RNA can undergo not only 3' processing but also poly(A)-dependent degradation. Therefore, our results suggest that the 3' processing of M1 RNA provides a functional mechanism for the protection of its primary transcript against degradation.

3'-end processing of precursor M1 RNA by the N-terminal half of RNase E

M1 RNA, the catalytic component of Escherichia coli RNase P, is derived from the 3'-end processing of precursor M1 RNA, a major transcript of the rnpB gene. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of 3'-end processing of M1 RNA using the recombinant N-terminal half RNase E. The cleavage site preference of RNase E differed from that of the 40% ammonium sulfate precipitate (ASP-40), a partially purified cell extract containing processing activity. However, the addition of a trace amount of ASP-40 changed the cleavage site preference of RNase E to that of ASP-40 suggesting the involvement of a soluble factor in cleavage site preference.