Novel continuous metabolic reactions through base-pairing interaction between operon mRNAs and its application

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K19063
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 38:Agricultural chemistry and related fields
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: Miyakoshi Masatoshi 筑波大学, 医学医療系, 准教授 (60755809)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-07-09 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 転写後調節 / small RNA / 3'UTR / オペロン / 代謝

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Prokaryotic operon mRNAs generate small RNAs (sRNAs) from their 3´UTRs. In this study, we examine whether sRNAs processed from the 3´UTR of mRNAs base-pair with target mRNAs, or whether mRNAs with regulatory sequences in the 3´UTR themselves base-pair with target mRNAs. We demonstrate that target repression does not occur when the RNase E cleavage site immediately downstream of the mRNA stop codon is mutated. This indicates that post-transcriptional regulation occurs by base-pairing with the target mRNA of the processed sRNA, not with the mRNA.

Free Research Field

応用微生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、原核生物のオペロンmRNAの3´UTRに由来するsRNAが、標的遺伝子の転写後調節を行うためにはプロセシングを受けて切り離される必要があり、3'UTRがmRNAから切り離されない状態では標的遺伝子の抑制が起きないことを示した。原核生物の遺伝子発現制御において、転写によって生成する1mRNAがタンパク質を翻訳するだけではなく、同時にプロセシングを経て転写後調節機能を持つsRNAを生成することを明らかにすることができた。