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Modulation of the E. coli rpoH Temperature Sensor with Triptycene-Based Small Molecules
Stephanie A Barros1, Ina Yoon1, David M Chenoweth2
1Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 231 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
Abstract:
Regulation of the heat shock response (HSR) is essential in all living systems. In E. coli, the HSR is regulated by an alternative σ factor, σ(32) , which is encoded by the rpoH gene. The mRNA of rpoH adopts a complex secondary structure that is critical for the proper translation of the σ(32) protein. At low temperatures, the rpoH gene transcript forms a highly structured mRNA containing several three-way junctions, including a rare perfectly paired three-way junction (3WJ). This complex secondary structure serves as a primitive but highly effective strategy for the thermal control of gene expression. In this work, the first small-molecule modulators of the E. coli σ(32) mRNA temperature sensor are reported.
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