Genome-wide antisense transcription drives mRNA processing in bacteria

RNA deep sequencing technologies are revealing unexpected levels of complexity in bacterial transcriptomes with the discovery of abundant noncoding RNAs, antisense RNAs, long 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions, and alternative operon structures. Here, by applying deep RNA sequencing to both the long and...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Lasa Uzcudun, Íñigo, Toledo Arana, Alejandro, Dobin, Alexander, Villanueva San Martín, Maite, Ruiz de los Mozos Aliaga, Igor, Vergara Irigaray, Marta, Segura, Víctor, Fagegaltier, Delphine, Penadés, José R., Valle Turrillas, Jaione, Solano Goñi, Cristina, Gingeras, Thomas R.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2011
País:España
Institución:Universidad Pública de Navarra
Repositorio:Academica-e. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad Pública de Navarra
OAI Identifier:oai:academica-e.unavarra.es:2454/22579
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2454/22579
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Antisense RNA
Overlapping transcription
RNA processing
Posttranscriptional regulation
MicroRNA
Descripción
Sumario:RNA deep sequencing technologies are revealing unexpected levels of complexity in bacterial transcriptomes with the discovery of abundant noncoding RNAs, antisense RNAs, long 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions, and alternative operon structures. Here, by applying deep RNA sequencing to both the long and short RNA fractions (<50 nucleotides) obtained from the major human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, we have detected a collection of short RNAs that is generated genome-wide through the digestion of overlapping sense/antisense transcripts by RNase III endoribonuclease. At least 75% of sense RNAs from annotated genes are subject to this mechanism of antisense processing. Removal of RNase III activity reduces the amount of short RNAs and is accompanied by the accumulation of discrete antisense transcripts. These results suggest the production of pervasive but hidden antisense transcription used to process sense transcripts by means of creating double-stranded substrates. This process of RNase III-mediated digestion of overlapping transcripts can be observed in several evolutionarily diverse Gram-positive bacteria and is capable of providing a unique genome-wide posttranscriptional mechanism to adjust mRNA levels.

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