Role of the RppH and NudC orthologs in RNA homeostasis in Caulobacter

• Grant number: 24/23478-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Marilis Do Valle Marques
• Grantee: Lucas Spitzer
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/10577-0 - Biology of Bacteria and Bacteriophages Research Center, AP.CEPID

Abstract

The regulation of the cell cycle and stress response requires transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms that mediate the concentration of mRNA transcripts in the cell and their translation. Therefore, RNA degradation processes have an important role in the cessation of response, nucleotide recycling, change in gene expression patterns and adaptation. The RNA degradosome is a multienzymatic complex that participates in RNA degradation in bacteria, in which the endonuclease RNAse E binds other enzymes to perform RNA degradation. Bacterial mRNAs have some modifications on their 5' ends, as a triphosphate nucleotide or being capped with other molecules, such as NAD. Specific cap-removing enzymes leave a monophosphate 5'-end, which is more susceptible to degradation by RNase E. The enzyme that turns 5'-triphosphate into 5'-monophosphate RNAs is the pyrophosphohydrolase RppH, and the one that removes NAD is the phosphohydrolase NudC. Both are members of the NUDIX family of hydrolases that have the Nudix conserved domain. In this project we aim to study two enzymes of this family in Caulobacter crescentus that are the likely orthologs of RppH and NudC, analyzing their role in RNA degradation and global gene regulation.