Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: cis-Encoded antisense RNAs (asRNAs) are widespread along bacterial transcriptomes. However, the role of most of these RNAs remains unknown, and there is an ongoing discussion as to what extent these transcripts are the result of transcriptional noise. We show, by comparative transcriptomics of 20 bacterial species and one chloroplast, that the number of asRNAs is exponentially dependent on the genomic AT content and that expression of asRNA at low levels exerts little impact in terms of energy consumption. A transcription model simulating mRNA and asRNA production indicates that the asRNA regulatory effect is only observed above certain expression thresholds, substantially higher than physiological transcript levels. These predictions were verified experimentally by overexpressing nine different asRNAs in Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Our results suggest that most of the antisense transcripts found in bacteria are the consequence of transcriptional noise, arising at spurious promoters throughout the genome.
Source: Science Advances
Institutions: Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Centre for Genomic Regulation, MSD (Netherlands), Wageningen University & Research, Universitat de València, Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Max Delbrück Center, J. Craig Venter Institute, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
OpenAlex ID: W2296941811