Polynucleotide phosphorylase promotes the stability and function of Hfq-binding sRNAs by degrading target mRNA-derived fragments

Todd A. Cameron, Lisa M. Matz, Dhriti Sinha, Nicholas R. De Lay

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    23 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    In many Gram-negative and some Gram-positive bacteria, small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) that bind the RNA chaperone Hfq have a pivotal role in modulating virulence, stress responses, metabolism and biofilm formation. These sRNAs recognize transcripts through base-pairing, and sRNA-mRNA annealing consequently alters the translation and/or stability of transcripts leading to changes in gene expression. We have previously found that the highly conserved 3'-to-5' exoribonuclease polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase) has an indispensable role in paradoxically stabilizing Hfq-bound sRNAs and promoting their function in gene regulation in Escherichia coli. Here, we report that PNPase contributes to the degradation of specific short mRNA fragments, the majority of which bind Hfq and are derived from targets of sRNAs. Specifically, we found that these mRNA-derived fragments accumulate in the absence of PNPase or its exoribonuclease activity and interact with PNPase. Additionally, we show that mutations in hfq or in the seed pairing region of some sRNAs eliminated the requirement of PNPase for their stability. Altogether, our results are consistent with a model that PNPase degrades mRNA-derived fragments that could otherwise deplete cells of Hfq-binding sRNAs through pairing-mediated decay.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)8821-8837
    Number of pages17
    JournalNucleic acids research
    Volume47
    Issue number16
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Sep 19 2019

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Genetics

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