Determination of synthesis rate and lifetime of bacterial mRNAs

Anal Biochem. 1987 Dec;167(2):245-60. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(87)90160-6.

Abstract

A method has been developed to determine the synthesis rate and lifetime of bacterial mRNAs, either bulk mRNA or specific mRNAs, with a minimum of physiological disturbance. The method uses hybridization of pulse-labeled RNA to specific probes followed by an evaluation based on a computer simulation of the labeling kinetics of different classes of RNA. The method was applied to the determination of bulk mRNA in Escherichia coli growing in glucose minimal medium: 60% of the instantaneous rate of RNA synthesis, or 2.3% of the total amount of RNA, was found to be mRNA with an average lifetime of 1.0 +/- 0.2 min (= 0.7 min half-life).

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Computer Simulation
  • Escherichia coli / metabolism
  • Kinetics
  • Nucleic Acid Hybridization
  • Nucleic Acid Precursors / metabolism
  • RNA, Bacterial / biosynthesis
  • RNA, Bacterial / metabolism*
  • RNA, Messenger / biosynthesis
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism*
  • RNA, Ribosomal / metabolism

Substances

  • Nucleic Acid Precursors
  • RNA, Bacterial
  • RNA, Messenger
  • RNA, Ribosomal