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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Quantification of the Abundance and Charging Levels of Transfer RNAs in Escherichia coli
Published on: August 22, 2017
Degradation of mRNA in Escherichia coli
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, USA.
Abstract:
Degradation of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) is a universal process that occurs in every cell and has important implications for nucleotide metabolism and gene expression. One organism in which mRNA degradation has been thoroughly studied is the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli). In this review I describe what is presently known about the different processes involved in the conversion of mRNAs from high molecular weight species to mononucleotides in E. coli. The ribonucleases and accessory factors involved in mRNA degradation, and features on mRNAs that make them resistant or sensitive to degradation will also be described. At the conclusion of this review, some of the anticipated directions of future research on this topic will be discussed.
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