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  1. Article: Short RNA half-lives in the slow-growing marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus

    Steglich, Claudia / Debbie Lindell / Matthias Futschik / Robert Steen / Sallie W Chisholm / Trent Rector

    Genome biology. 2010 May, v. 11, no. 5

    2010  

    Abstract: BACKGROUND: RNA turnover plays an important role in the gene regulation of microorganisms and influences their speed of acclimation to environmental changes. We investigated whole-genome RNA stability of Prochlorococcus, a relatively slow-growing marine ... ...

    Abstract BACKGROUND: RNA turnover plays an important role in the gene regulation of microorganisms and influences their speed of acclimation to environmental changes. We investigated whole-genome RNA stability of Prochlorococcus, a relatively slow-growing marine cyanobacterium doubling approximately once a day, which is extremely abundant in the oceans. RESULTS: Using a combination of microarrays, quantitative RT-PCR and a new fitting method for determining RNA decay rates, we found a median half-life of 2.4 minutes and a median decay rate of 2.6 minutes for expressed genes - twofold faster than that reported for any organism. The shortest transcript half-life (33 seconds) was for a gene of unknown function, while some of the longest (approximately 18 minutes) were for genes with high transcript levels. Genes organized in operons displayed intriguing mRNA decay patterns, such as increased stability, and delayed onset of decay with greater distance from the transcriptional start site. The same phenomenon was observed on a single probe resolution for genes greater than 2 kb. CONCLUSIONS: We hypothesize that the fast turnover relative to the slow generation time in Prochlorococcus may enable a swift response to environmental changes through rapid recycling of nucleotides, which could be advantageous in nutrient poor oceans. Our growing understanding of RNA half-lives will help us interpret the growing bank of metatranscriptomic studies of wild populations of Prochlorococcus. The surprisingly complex decay patterns of large transcripts reported here, and the method developed to describe them, will open new avenues for the investigation and understanding of RNA decay for all organisms.
    Keywords acclimation ; gene expression ; half life ; messenger RNA ; microarray technology ; microorganisms ; nucleotides ; oceans ; operon ; Prochlorococcus ; reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction ; transcription (genetics)
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2010-05
    Size p. 2347.
    Publishing place Springer-Verlag
    Document type Article
    ZDB-ID 2040529-7
    ISSN 1474-760X ; 1465-6914 ; 1465-6906
    ISSN (online) 1474-760X ; 1465-6914
    ISSN 1465-6906
    DOI 10.1186/gb-2010-11-5-r54
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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  2. Article ; Online: Choreography of the transcriptome, photophysiology, and cell cycle of a minimal photoautotroph, prochlorococcus.

    Erik R Zinser / Debbie Lindell / Zackary I Johnson / Matthias E Futschik / Claudia Steglich / Maureen L Coleman / Matthew A Wright / Trent Rector / Robert Steen / Nathan McNulty / Luke R Thompson / Sallie W Chisholm

    PLoS ONE, Vol 4, Iss 4, p e

    2009  Volume 5135

    Abstract: The marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus MED4 has the smallest genome and cell size of all known photosynthetic organisms. Like all phototrophs at temperate latitudes, it experiences predictable daily variation in available light energy which leads to ... ...

    Abstract The marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus MED4 has the smallest genome and cell size of all known photosynthetic organisms. Like all phototrophs at temperate latitudes, it experiences predictable daily variation in available light energy which leads to temporal regulation and partitioning of key cellular processes. To better understand the tempo and choreography of this minimal phototroph, we studied the entire transcriptome of the cell over a simulated daily light-dark cycle, and placed it in the context of diagnostic physiological and cell cycle parameters. All cells in the culture progressed through their cell cycles in synchrony, thus ensuring that our measurements reflected the behavior of individual cells. Ninety percent of the annotated genes were expressed, and 80% had cyclic expression over the diel cycle. For most genes, expression peaked near sunrise or sunset, although more subtle phasing of gene expression was also evident. Periodicities of the transcripts of genes involved in physiological processes such as in cell cycle progression, photosynthesis, and phosphorus metabolism tracked the timing of these activities relative to the light-dark cycle. Furthermore, the transitions between photosynthesis during the day and catabolic consumption of energy reserves at night- metabolic processes that share some of the same enzymes--appear to be tightly choreographed at the level of RNA expression. In-depth investigation of these patterns identified potential regulatory proteins involved in balancing these opposing pathways. Finally, while this analysis has not helped resolve how a cell with so little regulatory capacity, and a 'deficient' circadian mechanism, aligns its cell cycle and metabolism so tightly to a light-dark cycle, it does provide us with a valuable framework upon which to build when the Prochlorococcus proteome and metabolome become available.
    Keywords Medicine ; R ; Science ; Q
    Subject code 612
    Language English
    Publishing date 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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