Article
- The EMBO Journal (2004) 23, 396 - 405
- doi:10.1038/sj.emboj.7600058
Published online: 22 January 2004
Hfq, a new chaperoning role: binding to messenger RNA determines access for small RNA regulator
Thomas A Geissmann and Danièle Touati
- Institut Jacques Monod, CNRS-Universités Paris 6 et Paris 7, Paris, France
Correspondence to:
Danièle Touati, Institut Jacques Monod, CNRS-Universités Paris 6 et Paris 7, F-75251 Paris Cedex 05, France. Tel.: +33 1 44 27 47 19; Fax: +33 1 44 27 76 67; E-mail: touati.daniele@wanadoo.fr
Received 29 September 2003; Accepted 8 December 2003
Abstract
The Sm-like protein Hfq is involved in post-transcriptional regulation by small, noncoding RNAs in Escherichia coli that act by base pairing. Hfq stabilises the small RNAs and mediates their interaction with the target mRNA by an as yet unknown mechanism. We show here a novel chaperoning use of Hfq in the regulation by small RNAs. We analysed in vitro and in vivo the role of Hfq in the interaction between the small RNA RyhB and its sodB (iron superoxide dismutase) mRNA target. Hfq bound strongly to sodB mRNA and altered the structure of the mRNA, partially opening a loop. This gives access to a sequence complementary to RyhB and encompassing the translation initiation codon. RyhB binding blocked the translation initiation codon of sodB and triggered the degradation of both RyhB and sodB mRNA. Thus, Hfq is a critical chaperone in vivo and in vitro, changing the folding of the target mRNA to make it subject to the small RNA regulator.
Keywords:
- iron superoxide dismutase,
- protein–RNA interaction,
- regulatory RNA,
- RNA chaperone,
- RNA–RNA interaction
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