ArticleNature microbiology2018
Distinct mechanisms coordinate transcription and translation under carbon and nitrogen starvation in Escherichia coli.
Article in Nature microbiology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 55 papers.
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55 citing papers in PubMed, 95 citations in OpenAlex.
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- (p)ppGpp and DksA play a crucial role in reducing the efficacy of β-lactam antibiotics by modulating bacterial membrane permeability.Microbiology spectrum · 2025Article
- RNA polymerase stalling-derived genome instability underlies ribosomal antibiotic efficacy and resistance evolution.Nature communications · 2024Article
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- Shaping of microbial phenotypes by trade-offs.Nature communications · 2024Review
- Toxin-antitoxin genes are differentially expressed inFrontiers in microbiology · 2024Article
- ppGpp accumulation reduces the expression of the global nitrogen homeostasis-modulating NtcA regulon by affecting 2-oxoglutarate levels.Communications biology · 2023Article
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- Transcription-translation coupling: Recent advances and future perspectives.Molecular microbiology · 2023Article
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4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Bacteria adapt to environmental stress by producing proteins that provide stress protection. However, stress can severely perturb the kinetics of gene expression, disrupting protein production. Here, we characterized how Escherichia coli mitigates such perturbations under nutrient stress through the kinetic coordination of transcription and translation. We observed that, when translation became limiting under nitrogen starvation, transcription elongation slowed accordingly. This slowdown was mediated by (p)ppGpp, the alarmone whose primary role is thought to be promoter regulation. This kinetic coordination by (p)ppGpp was critical for the robust synthesis of gene products. Surprisingly, under carbon starvation, (p)ppGpp was dispensable for robust synthesis. Characterization of the underlying kinetics revealed that under carbon starvation, transcription became limiting, and translation aided transcription elongation. This mechanism naturally coordinated transcription with translation, alleviating the need for (p)ppGpp as a mediator. These contrasting mechanisms for coordination resulted in the condition-dependent effects of (p)ppGpp on global protein synthesis and starvation survival. Our findings reveal a kinetic aspect of gene expression plasticity, establishing (p)ppGpp as a condition-dependent global effector of gene expression.
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