Diverse primary and secondary structural features are associated with Y complex-dependent mRNA maturation in B. subtilis

In Bacillus subtilis, mRNA processing and decay are primarily initiated by the endonuclease RNase Y. Recent work by our group discovered a set of auxiliary factors called the Y complex that is required for the mRNA maturation of 21 operons. It is unclear, however, how these operons specifically are targeted by RNase Y and the Y complex. Here we use in silico sequence motif searches, kmer analysis and secondary structure prediction to analyze these 21 cleavage sites and their surrounding regions. We find enrichment for a guanine immediately preceding the cleavage site. Such enrichment has been previously observed in Staphylococcus aureus RNase Y cleavage sites, indicating a role for the Y complex in processing those sites as well. Surprisingly, there are no other detectable sequence or structural motifs in the regions around the 21 B. subtilis sites. This suggests that Y complex-dependent processing and, more broadly, mRNA processing in B. subtilis, is more complicated than previously anticipated.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Ram, Archana,M. Eng.Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Gene-Wei Li.

• Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses may be protected by copyright. Please reuse MIT thesis content according to the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy, which is available through the URL provided.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/129913

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/129913