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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
12:57
Genome-wide Quantification of Translation in Budding Yeast by Ribosome Profiling
Published on: December 21, 2017
Selective Reprogramming of Ribosome Assembly and Translational Control during Bacterial Growth Phase Transitions
Manuel Terrazas-López1, Vanessa Aitken1, Tonya N Zeczycki2
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States.
ACS Omega
|July 24, 2026
Summary
Bacteria adapt to changing nutrient levels by altering their protein production. This study reveals how Escherichia coli (E. coli) modifies its translation machinery between rapid growth and stationary phases, impacting adaptation and antibiotic response.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Proteomics
Background:
- Bacteria in nature face fluctuating nutrient availability, cycling between nutrient-rich (exponential) and nutrient-limited (stationary) phases.
- Understanding molecular adaptations in these growth phases is crucial for bacterial survival and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the proteomes of Escherichia coli (E. coli) during exponential and stationary growth phases.
- To identify protein-level differences in the translational machinery and stress response pathways between these growth phases.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a label-free proteomics workflow.
- Analyzed protein abundance differences in E. coli between exponential and stationary growth phases.
Main Results:
- Identified enrichment of translational machinery components, including rRNA chaperones (DeaD, DbpA, RlhE), ribosomal proteins, and rRNA/tRNA modification enzymes, during exponential growth.
- Observed elevated levels of translation initiation and elongation factors (IF-1, IF-3, EF-P) in the exponential phase.
- Detected differential abundance of antibiotic response proteins between growth phases, indicating adaptive remodeling of stress pathways.
Conclusions:
- E. coli selectively remodels its translational machinery during transitions between growth phases.
- These adaptations enhance ribosome stability, translation efficiency, and fidelity during rapid proliferation.
- Growth phase-dependent regulation of stress and defense pathways is critical for bacterial adaptation.
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