Characterization of a Deinococcus radiodurans MazF: A UACA-specific RNA endoribonuclease.

Tatsuki Miyamoto, Yuri Ota, Akiko Yokota, Tetsushi Suyama, Satoshi Tsuneda, Naohiro Noda

MicrobiologyOpen 2017 Oct

filter terms:

Microbes are known to withstand environmental stresses by using chromosomal toxin-antitoxin systems. MazEF is one of the most extensively studied toxin-antitoxin systems. In stressful environments, MazF toxins modulate translation by cleaving single-stranded RNAs in a sequence-specific fashion. Previously, a chromosomal gene located at DR0417 in Deinococcus radiodurans was predicted to code for a MazF endoribonuclease (MazFDR0417 ); however, its function remains unclear. In the present study, we characterized the molecular function of MazFDR0417 . Analysis of MazFDR0417 -cleaved RNA sites using modified massively parallel sequencing revealed a unique 4-nt motif, UACA, as a potential cleavage pattern. The activity of MazFDR0417 was also assessed in a real-time fluorometric assay, which revealed that MazFDR0417 strictly recognizes the unique tetrad UACA. This sequence specificity may allow D. radiodurans to alter its translation profile and survive under stressful conditions. © 2017 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Citation

Tatsuki Miyamoto, Yuri Ota, Akiko Yokota, Tetsushi Suyama, Satoshi Tsuneda, Naohiro Noda. Characterization of a Deinococcus radiodurans MazF: A UACA-specific RNA endoribonuclease. MicrobiologyOpen. 2017 Oct;6(5)