Rho-dependent termination of ssrS (6S RNA) transcription in Escherichia coli: implications for 3' processing of 6S RNA and expression of downstream ygfA (putative 5-formyl-tetrahydrofolate cyclo-ligase)

Abstract

It is well known that 6S RNA, a global regulatory noncoding RNA that modulates gene expression in response to the cellular stresses in Escherichia coli, is generated by processing from primary ssrS (6S RNA) transcripts derived from two different promoters. The 5′ processing of 6S RNA from primary transcripts has been well studied; however, it remains unclear how the 3′-end of this RNA is generated although previous studies have suggested that exoribonucleolytic trimming is necessary for 3′ processing. Here, we describe several Rho-dependent termination sites located ∼90 bases downstream of the mature 3′-end of 6S RNA. Our data suggest that the 3′-end of 6S RNA is generated via exoribonucleolytic trimming, rather than endoribonucleolytic cleavage, following the transcription termination events. The termination sites identified in this study are within the open reading frame of the downstream ygfA (putative 5-formyl-tetrahydrofolate cyclo-ligase) gene, a part of the highly conserved bacterial operon ssrS-ygfA, which is up-regulated during the biofilm formation. Our findings reveal that ygfA expression, which also aids the formation of multidrugtolerant persister cells, could be regulated by Rho-dependent termination activity in the cell.