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Updated: Feb 27, 2026

Fluorescence Based Primer Extension Technique to Determine Transcriptional Starting Points and Cleavage Sites of RNases In Vivo
Published on: October 31, 2014
Characterization of a Deinococcus radiodurans MazF: A UACA-specific RNA endoribonuclease
Tatsuki Miyamoto1,2, Yuri Ota1,2, Akiko Yokota2
1Department of Life Science and Medical Bioscience, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract:
Microbes are known to withstand environmental stresses by using chromosomal toxin-antitoxin systems. MazEF is one of the most extensively studied toxin-antitoxin systems. In stressful environments, MazF toxins modulate translation by cleaving single-stranded RNAs in a sequence-specific fashion. Previously, a chromosomal gene located at DR0417 in Deinococcus radiodurans was predicted to code for a MazF endoribonuclease (MazFDR0417 ); however, its function remains unclear. In the present study, we characterized the molecular function of MazFDR0417 . Analysis of MazFDR0417 -cleaved RNA sites using modified massively parallel sequencing revealed a unique 4-nt motif, UACA, as a potential cleavage pattern. The activity of MazFDR0417 was also assessed in a real-time fluorometric assay, which revealed that MazFDR0417 strictly recognizes the unique tetrad UACA. This sequence specificity may allow D. radiodurans to alter its translation profile and survive under stressful conditions.
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