Genome-wide Mapping of Transcriptional Start Sites Defines an Extensive Leaderless Transcriptome in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

• DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2013.10.031
• Publication Date: 2013-11-21T22:07:15Z
• Authors: Teresa Cortes; Olga T. Schubert; Graham Rose; Kristine B. Arnvig; Iñaki Comas; Ruedi Aebersold; Douglas B. Young
• Keywords: Resource; 0301 basic medicine; Transcription, Genetic; QH301-705.5; Promoter Regions; 03 medical and health sciences; Genetic; Biology (General); Promoter Regions, Genetic; 0303 health sciences; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Gene Expression Profiling; Bacterial; Chromosome Mapping; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; 3. Good health; Gene Expression Regulation; RNA; Erratum; Transcription Initiation Site; 5' Untranslated Regions; Transcriptome; Sequence Analysis; Transcription

Deciphering physiological changes that mediate transition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis between replicating and nonreplicating states is essential to understanding how the pathogen can persist in an individual host for decades. We have combined RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) 5′ triphosphate-enriched libraries with regular RNA-seq characterize architecture expression M. promoters. identified over 4,000 transcriptional start sites (TSSs). Strikingly, 26% genes a primary TSS, site initiation overlapped annotated codon, generating leaderless transcripts lacking UTR and, hence, Shine-Dalgarno sequence commonly used initiate ribosomal engagement eubacteria. Genes encoding proteins active growth functions were markedly depleted from transcriptome, there was significant increase overall representation mRNAs starvation model arrest. The high percentage may particular importance physiology tuberculosis.