Specific inactivation of 16S ribosomal RNA induced by colicin E3 in vivo

Treatment of sensitive Escherichia coli cells with colicin E3 leads to inactivation of 30S ribosomal subunits. In vitro reconstitution of 30S subunits indicates that the E3-induced defect lies solely in the 16S RNA. 16S RNA from E3-treated cells lacks several T(1) RNase oligonucleotides of normal 16S RNA, including the one from the 3'-end of the 16S RNA, as analyzed by the fingerprint technique of Sanger. An RNA fragment about 50 nucleotides long has been isolated from E3-treated cells. This RNA contains the original 3'-terminal oligonucleotide and other oligonucleotides missing in the E3-16S RNA. The results show that colicin E3 treatment causes the cleavage of 16S RNA at a specific position near the 3'-terminus.