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Related Concept Videos

Translational Regulation01:29

Translational Regulation

Translational regulation in prokaryotes ensures efficient protein synthesis by controlling ribosome access to mRNA. This regulation is mediated by secondary RNA structures, including translational riboswitches, RNA thermometers, and small RNAs (sRNAs), which respond to intracellular and environmental signals to modulate gene expression.Translational RiboswitchesRiboswitches in the leader region of mRNAs can regulate translation by altering the accessibility of the Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence,...
Exon Recombination02:32

Exon Recombination

The evolution of new genes is critical for speciation. Exon recombination, also known as exon shuffling or domain shuffling, is an important means of new gene formation. It is observed across vertebrates, invertebrates, and in some plants such as potatoes and sunflowers. During exon recombination, exons from the same or different genes recombine and produce new exon-intron combinations, which might evolve into new genes. 
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...
Bacterial RNA Polymerase00:43

Bacterial RNA Polymerase

Unlike eukaryotes, bacteria use a single RNA Polymerase (RNAP) to transcribe all genes. The different subunits of bacterial RNAPhave distinct functions. The multisubunit structure of the bacterial RNAP helps the enzyme to maintain catalytic function, facilitate assembly, interact with DNA and RNA, and self-regulate its activity.
In most genes, the transcription site is a single base present upstream of the coding sequence. Though RNAP is a catalytically efficient enzyme, it does not recognize...
Bacterial RNA Polymerase00:43

Bacterial RNA Polymerase

Unlike eukaryotes, bacteria use a single RNA Polymerase (RNAP) to transcribe all genes. The different subunits of bacterial RNAPhave distinct functions. The multisubunit structure of the bacterial RNAP helps the enzyme to maintain catalytic function, facilitate assembly, interact with DNA and RNA, and self-regulate its activity.
In most genes, the transcription site is a single base present upstream of the coding sequence. Though RNAP is a catalytically efficient enzyme, it does not recognize...
Leaky Scanning02:28

Leaky Scanning

During most eukaryotic translation processes, the small 40S ribosome subunit scans an mRNA from its 5' end until it encounters the first start AUG codon. The large 60S ribosomal subunit then joins the smaller one to initiate protein synthesis. The location of the translation initiation is largely determined by the nucleotides near the start codon as there may be multiple translation initiation sites present on the mRNA.  Marilyn Kozak discovered that the sequence RCCAUGG (where R stands for...
Evolution of New Traits in Microbes01:24

Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

Microorganisms evolve rapidly due to their large population sizes and short generation times, often exhibiting measurable changes within days under laboratory conditions. Natural selection acts on standing genetic variation, enabling the retention and amplification of beneficial traits that confer fitness advantages in changing environments.Adaptive Pigment Regulation in RhodobacterIn Rhodobacter, a genus of purple non-sulfur bacteria, light-harvesting pigments such as bacteriochlorophyll and...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2026

A Non-Coding Small RNA MicC Contributes to Virulence in Outer Membrane Proteins in Salmonella Enteritidis
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A Non-Coding Small RNA MicC Contributes to Virulence in Outer Membrane Proteins in Salmonella Enteritidis

Published on: January 27, 2021

Adaptive evolution of an sRNA that controls Myxococcus development.

Yuen-Tsu N Yu1, Xi Yuan, Gregory J Velicer

  • 1Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|May 22, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Small RNAs (sRNAs) regulate biology. A specific sRNA, Pxr, controls development in Myxococcus xanthus, and its mutation adaptively restored development in cheater strains.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Small RNA (sRNA) molecules are crucial regulators in biological processes.
  • Evidence for adaptive evolution in sRNA sequences has been limited.
  • Multicellular development in prokaryotes involves complex regulatory networks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize an sRNA involved in regulating multicellular development in Myxococcus xanthus.
  • To investigate the role of sRNA evolution in phenotypic adaptation.
  • To demonstrate the direct impact of sRNA regulators on evolutionary change.

Main Methods:

  • Identification of a novel sRNA, Pxr, in Myxococcus xanthus.
  • Functional analysis of Pxr's role in regulating fruiting body development.

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Fluorescence Live-cell Imaging of the Complete Vegetative Cell Cycle of the Slow-growing Social Bacterium Myxococcus xanthus
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Fluorescence Live-cell Imaging of the Complete Vegetative Cell Cycle of the Slow-growing Social Bacterium Myxococcus xanthus

Published on: June 20, 2018

Adaptation at the Extremes of Life: Experimental Evolution with the Extremophile Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius
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Adaptation at the Extremes of Life: Experimental Evolution with the Extremophile Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

Published on: June 14, 2024

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A Non-Coding Small RNA MicC Contributes to Virulence in Outer Membrane Proteins in Salmonella Enteritidis
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A Non-Coding Small RNA MicC Contributes to Virulence in Outer Membrane Proteins in Salmonella Enteritidis

Published on: January 27, 2021

Fluorescence Live-cell Imaging of the Complete Vegetative Cell Cycle of the Slow-growing Social Bacterium Myxococcus xanthus
11:45

Fluorescence Live-cell Imaging of the Complete Vegetative Cell Cycle of the Slow-growing Social Bacterium Myxococcus xanthus

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Adaptation at the Extremes of Life: Experimental Evolution with the Extremophile Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius
08:11

Adaptation at the Extremes of Life: Experimental Evolution with the Extremophile Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

Published on: June 14, 2024

  • Genetic manipulation to study the effect of Pxr mutations on M. xanthus cheater strains.

    • Main Results:

    • Pxr was identified as a negative regulator of fruiting body development in M. xanthus.
    • A spontaneous mutation in Pxr abolished its regulatory function.
    • Deletion of Pxr enabled development even in nutrient-rich conditions, bypassing the normal starvation trigger.
    • The Pxr mutation restored developmental proficiency to a socially defective M. xanthus cheater strain.

    Conclusions:

    • Pxr acts as a critical checkpoint controlling the transition from growth to development in myxobacteria.
    • This study provides direct evidence that sRNA regulators can drive adaptive evolution of major phenotypic traits.
    • sRNA molecules govern complex multicellular development in prokaryotes, facilitating evolutionary adaptation.