Gene affecting longevity of messenger RNA: a mutant of Escherichia coli with altered mRNA stability.

We have screened 897 temperature sensitive growth mutants of E. coli for mutant strains showing longer mRNA half-life. The fate of pulse-labelled RNA was examined at 42 degrees C after cessation of RNA synthesis and with prior exposure to nonpermissive temperature (42 degrees C). Eight stains showed altered turnover of RNA (presumably mRNA), and further analysis on mutant strain JE15144 indicated that the stability of pulse-labeled RNA as well as of tryptophan (trp) mRNA increased four to seven fold over its parental strain at 42 degrees C. At 4 min or 10 min after addition of rifampicin, some 70 to 80% of polyribosome in the growing cells could still be conserved in JE15144 cultured at the nonpermissive temperature while little, if any, polyribosomes remained in its parental strain (PA3092) under the same condition. Two generation times were required for complete stoppage of growth of this mutant strain after shifting to 42 degrees C, and protein synthesis continued at a significant, but slightly reduced, rate at 42 degrees C. However, functional decay of mRNA in the mutant strain, with respect to the capacity for producing peptides, appeared to be similar to the parent strain, with half-lives of 3.5 min in PA3092 and 4.7 min in JE15144.