Abstract
A myriad of gene products are involved in cellular metabolism, in the replicative and expressive machineries and in structural components. However, during the (normal) bacterial life cycle, certain products are required only at particular stages. Moreover, adjustment in cellular metabolism may be necessary when the bacterium is confronted with an unusual growth substance or altered external conditions. Thus, while many, if not the majority, of bacterial genes are expressed constitutively, others are actively controlled. Even when active, not all genes are expressed at the same rate, as suggested by the wide variation in the absolute levels of bacterial proteins (from 10 to 105 copies per cell). Control of gene expression protects against wasteful energy consumption since both RNA and protein production expend ATP at a high rate. (Indeed, control mutants that unnecessarily expend energy may be outgrown by their wild-type counterparts in liquid culture.) Gene control also, clearly, prevents monopolisation of the transcription-translation apparatus.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Bibliography
Catabolite-Controlled Operons: The Lactose System
Beckwith, J.R. and Zipser, D. (eds.) (1970) The Lactose Operon ( Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York ).
Kepes, A. (1969) Transcription and translation in the lactose operon ofEscherichia coli studied by in vivo kinetics’, Prog. Biophys. Mol. Biol., 19, 201–236.
Miller, J.H. and Reznikoff, W.S. (eds.) (1980) The Operon, 2nd edn ( Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York ).
Pastan, I. and Adhya, S. (1976) Cyclic adenosine 5’-monophosphate in Escherichia coli’, Bacterial. Rev., 40, 527–551.
Siebenlist, U., Simpson, R.B. and Gilbert, W. (1980) E. coli RNA polymerase interacts homologously with two different promoters’, Cell, 20, 269–281.
Attenuator-Controlled Operons: The Tryptophan System
Bertrand, K., Korn, L., Lee, F., Platt, T., Squires, C.L., Squires, C. and Yanofsky, C. (1975) New features of the regulation of the tryptophan operon’, Science, 189, 22–26.
Borer, P.N., Dengler, B., Tinoco, I. and Uhlenbeck, O.C. (1974) Stability of ribonucleic acid double-stranded helices’, J. Mol. Biol., 86, 843–853.
Crawford, I.P. (1975) Gene rearrangements in the evolution of the tryptophan synthetic pathway’, Bacterial Rev., 39, 87–120.
Crawford, I.P. and Stauffer, G.V. (1980) Regulation of tryptophan biosynthesis’, Ann. Rev. Biochem., 49, 163–195.
Platt, T. (1978) Regulation of gene expression in the tryptophan operon ofEscherichia coli’, in J.H. Miller and W.S. Reznikoff(eds.), The Operon ( Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York ), pp. 263–302.
Platt, T. (1981) Termination of transcription and its regulation in the tryptophan operon of E. coli’, Cell, 24, 10–23.
Umbarger, H.E. (1978) Amino acid biosynthesis and its regulation’, Ann. Rev. Biochem., 47, 533–606.
Yanofsky, C. (1981) Attenuation in the control of expression of bacterial operons’, Nature, 289, 751–758.
Multivalent Control of Transcriptional-Translational Operons
Abelson, J. (1979) RNA processing and the intervening sequence problem’, Ann. Rev. Biochem., 48, 1035–1069.
Altman, S. (1978) Biosynthesis of tRNA’, in S. Altman (ed.), Transfer RNA (The M.I.T. Press, Cambridge ), pp. 48–77.
Isono, K. (1980) Genetics of ribosomal proteins and their modifying and processing enzymes in Escherichia coli’, in G. Chambliss, G.R. Craven, J. Davies, K. Davis, L. Kahan and M. Nomura (eds.), Ribosomes: Structure, Function and Genetics ( University Park Press, Baltimore ), pp. 641–669.
Nomura, M., Morgan, E.A. and Jaskunas, S.R. (1977) Genetics of bacterial ribosomes’, Ann. Rev. Genet, 11, 297–347.
Yura, T. and Ishihama, A. (1979) Genetics of bacterial RNA polymerases’, A nn. Rev. Genet., 13, 59–97.
Gausing, K. (1980) Regulation of ribosome biosynthesis inE. coli’, in G. Chambliss, G.R. Craven, J. Davies, K. Davis, L. Kahan and M. Nomura (eds.), Ribosomes: Structure, Function and Genetics ( University Park Press, Baltimore ), pp. 693–718.
Nierlich, D.P. (1978) Regulation of bacterial growth, RNA, and protein synthesis’, Ann. Rev. Microbiol, 32, 393–432.
Travers, A. (1976) RNA polymerase specificity and the control of growth’,Nature, 263, 641–646.
Cashel, M. (1975) Regulation of bacterial ppGpp and pppGpp’, Ann. Rev. Microbiol, 29, 301–318.
Gallant, J.A. (1979) Stringent control in E. coli’, Ann. Rev. Genet., 13, 393–445.
Kjeldaard, N.O. (1979) Control mechanisms of the formation of ribosomal RNA and transfer RNA and the synthesis of guanosine tetraphosphate’, in J.E. Celis and J.D. Smith (eds.), Nonsense
Mutations and tRNA Suppressors (Academic Press, London), pp. 191–205.
Richter, D. (1980) In vitro synthesis and decay of guanosine 3’, 5’-bis (diphosphate) (ppGpp)’, in G. Chambliss, G.R. Craven, J. Davies, K. Davis, L. Kahan and M. Nomura(eds.),Ribosomes: Structure, Function and Genetics ( University Park Press, Baltimore ), pp. 743–765.
Friesen, J.D., Fiil, N.P., Dennis, P.P., Downing, W.L., An, G. and Holowachuk, E. (1980) Biosynthetic regulation ofrpU, rp1L, rpoB and rpoC inEscherichia coli’, in G. Chambliss, G.R. Craven, J. Davies, K. Davis, L. Kahan and M. Nomura (eds.), Ribosomes: Structure, Function and Genetics ( University Park Press, Baltimore ), pp. 719–742.
Nomura, M. and Post, L.E. (1980) Organisation of ribosomal genes and regulation of their expression inEscherichia coli’, in G. Chambliss, G.R. Craven, J. Davies, K. Davis, L. Kahan and M. Nomura (eds.), Ribosomes:: Structure, Function and Genetics ( University Park Press, Baltimore ), pp. 671–691.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1982 Robert E. Glass
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Glass, R.E. (1982). Control of Bacterial Gene Expression. In: Gene Function. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-6689-8_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-6689-8_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-7099-0082-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-6689-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive