A New Mechanism for Ribosome Rescue Can Recruit RF1 or RF2 to Nonstop Ribosomes
Abstract
Francisella tularensis is a highly infectious intracellular pathogen that kills more than half of infected humans if left untreated. F. tularensis has also been classified as a potential bioterrorism agent with a great risk for deliberate misuse. Recently, compounds that inhibit ribosome rescue have been shown to have antibiotic activity against F. tularensis and other important pathogens. Like all bacteria that have been studied, F. tularensis uses trans -translation as the main pathway to rescue stalled ribosomes. However, unlike most bacteria, F. tularensis can survive without any of the known factors for ribosome rescue. Our work identified a F. tularensis protein, ArfT, that rescues stalled ribosomes in the absence of trans -translation using a new mechanism. These results indicate that ribosome rescue activity is essential in F. tularensis and suggest that ribosome rescue activity might be essential in all bacteria.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Dec 21, 2018
- Source ID
- 10.1128/mbio.02436-18
Entities
People
- Girish S Kirimanjeswara
- Kenneth C Keiler
- Tyler D. P. Goralski
Organizations
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences
- Pennsylvania State University
- United States Department of Defense