Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Translational Regulation01:29

Translational Regulation

739
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,...
739
Transcriptional Regulation: Riboswitches01:23

Transcriptional Regulation: Riboswitches

969
Riboswitches are RNA elements that regulate gene expression by altering their secondary structures in response to specific effector molecules. These elements, located in the leader regions of certain mRNAs, act as transcriptional regulators by toggling between alternative conformations to control downstream gene expression. Riboswitch-mediated regulation is a precise mechanism for modulating biosynthetic pathways, as exemplified by the riboflavin biosynthesis pathway in Bacillus...
969
Types of RNA01:23

Types of RNA

73.5K
Overview
Three main types of RNA are involved in protein synthesis: messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). These RNAs perform diverse functions and can be broadly classified as protein-coding or non-coding RNA. Non-coding RNAs play important roles in the regulation of gene expression in response to developmental and environmental changes. Non-coding RNAs in prokaryotes can be manipulated to develop more effective antibacterial drugs for human or animal use.
RNA...
73.5K
Types of RNA01:20

Types of RNA

10.2K
Three main types of RNA are involved in protein synthesis: messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). These RNAs perform diverse functions and can be broadly classified as protein-coding or non-coding RNA. Non-coding RNAs play important roles in regulating gene expression in response to developmental and environmental changes. Non-coding RNAs in prokaryotes can be manipulated to develop more effective antibacterial drugs for human or animal use.
RNA Performs Diverse...
10.2K
Riboswitches01:56

Riboswitches

9.9K
Riboswitches are non-coding mRNA domains that regulate the transcription and translation of downstream genes without the help of proteins. Riboswitches bind directly to a metabolite and can form unique stem-loop or hairpin structures in response to the amount of the metabolite present. They have two distinct regions – a metabolite-binding aptamer and an expression platform.
The aptamer has high specificity for a particular metabolite which allows riboswitches to specifically regulate...
9.9K
Cis-regulatory Sequences02:02

Cis-regulatory Sequences

12.1K
Cis-regulatory sequences are short fragments of non-coding DNA that are present on the same chromosomes as the genes that they regulate. These fragments serve as binding sites for transcriptional regulators, proteins that are responsible for controlling gene transcription and differential gene expression across cell types in eukaryotes. Cis-regulatory sequences can be close to the gene of interest or thousands of bases away in the DNA sequence; however, those sequences that are further away are...
12.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Bacterial lipid synthesizing enzymes PlsY and PlsC utilize both stereo-forms of glycerol-phosphate.

EMBO reports·2026
Same author

Engineering Escherichia coli for the production of saturated archaeal lipids.

Metabolic engineering·2025
Same author

Functional diversity and molecular interactions of small membrane proteins in bacteria.

microLife·2025
Same author

Harnessing Small RNAs as Synthetic Post-transcriptional Regulators in Bacteria.

ACS synthetic biology·2025
Same author

Protein aggregation is a consequence of the dormancy-inducing membrane toxin TisB in <i>Escherichia coli</i>.

mSystems·2024
Same author

Relevance of charged and polar amino acids for functionality of membrane toxin TisB.

Scientific reports·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Applying an Inducible Expression System to Study Interference of Bacterial Virulence Factors with Intracellular Signaling
08:51

Applying an Inducible Expression System to Study Interference of Bacterial Virulence Factors with Intracellular Signaling

Published on: June 25, 2015

9.7K

Two regulatory RNA elements affect TisB-dependent depolarization and persister formation.

Bork A Berghoff1, Mirthe Hoekzema1, Lena Aulbach1

  • 1Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, 75124, Sweden.

Molecular Microbiology
|December 21, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Bacteria use regulatory RNAs like IstR-1 to control phenotypic diversity and form drug-tolerant persisters. This study reveals how these RNA elements manage inner membrane depolarization for survival under DNA-damaging conditions.

More Related Videos

Real-Time Quantification of the Effects of IS200/IS605 Family-Associated TnpB on Transposon Activity
04:04

Real-Time Quantification of the Effects of IS200/IS605 Family-Associated TnpB on Transposon Activity

Published on: January 20, 2023

2.9K
Artificial RNA Polymerase II Elongation Complexes for Dissecting Co-transcriptional RNA Processing Events
10:59

Artificial RNA Polymerase II Elongation Complexes for Dissecting Co-transcriptional RNA Processing Events

Published on: May 13, 2019

10.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Applying an Inducible Expression System to Study Interference of Bacterial Virulence Factors with Intracellular Signaling
08:51

Applying an Inducible Expression System to Study Interference of Bacterial Virulence Factors with Intracellular Signaling

Published on: June 25, 2015

9.7K
Real-Time Quantification of the Effects of IS200/IS605 Family-Associated TnpB on Transposon Activity
04:04

Real-Time Quantification of the Effects of IS200/IS605 Family-Associated TnpB on Transposon Activity

Published on: January 20, 2023

2.9K
Artificial RNA Polymerase II Elongation Complexes for Dissecting Co-transcriptional RNA Processing Events
10:59

Artificial RNA Polymerase II Elongation Complexes for Dissecting Co-transcriptional RNA Processing Events

Published on: May 13, 2019

10.2K

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Bacterial Physiology

Background:

  • Bacterial survival relies on phenotypic diversity, often driven by regulatory factors and gene expression noise.
  • Regulatory RNAs are key in bacterial decision-making processes for phenotype switching.
  • Persister cells are transiently drug-tolerant variants that arrest growth.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of the RNA antitoxin IstR-1 in the TisB/IstR-1 toxin-antitoxin system of Escherichia coli.
  • To understand how regulatory RNAs control inner membrane depolarization and persister formation.
  • To elucidate the function of the 5' UTR structure in tisB mRNA regulation.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of the TisB/IstR-1 toxin-antitoxin system in Escherichia coli.
  • Investigating the impact of IstR-1 on TisB-dependent inner membrane depolarization.
  • Studying the role of the 5' UTR of tisB mRNA in regulating TisB translation.
  • Quantifying persister cell formation and persistence duration.

Main Results:

  • The RNA antitoxin IstR-1 establishes a threshold for TisB-mediated inner membrane depolarization under DNA-damaging conditions.
  • Two distinct cell subpopulations (polarized and depolarized) emerge due to IstR-1's action.
  • An inhibitory structure in the 5' UTR of tisB mRNA delays TisB translation, preventing premature depolarization.
  • Both regulatory RNA elements influence the levels and duration of bacterial persistence.

Conclusions:

  • Regulatory RNAs are crucial for generating and controlling phenotypic heterogeneity in bacteria.
  • The TisB/IstR-1 system exemplifies how bacteria utilize regulatory RNAs to manage survival strategies, including persister formation.
  • This mechanism allows bacteria to fine-tune responses to environmental stress, such as DNA damage.