Transcription regulatory mechanisms for efficient ribosome biosynthesis in bacteria

Bacterial growth rates scale with ribosome abundance, and ribosomal (r) RNA synthesis is the primary driver of ribosome production. Thus, in fast-growing Escherichia coli, most RNA polymerases are engaged in rRNA transcription. Moreover, rapid rRNA transcription is facilitated by a dedicated elongation complex, in which RNA polymerase is modified by a multi-subunit RNA-protein complex, which also supports co-transcriptional rRNA folding, modification, processing, and ribosomal subunit assembly. At the same time, ribosomal proteins have to be produced in stoichiometric amounts, which is achieved, among others, via a transcriptional autogenous control mechanism. Recent insights into the molecular principles underlying these processes will be discussed.

Markus Wahl studied biochemistry in Germany and the USA, obtained his PhD from The Ohio State University, was a postdoc at the MPI of Biochemistry, headed a research group at the MPI for Biophysical Chemistry, and held a professorship at the University of Göttingen. He is currently Professor of Structural Biochemistry at Freie Universität Berlin and heads a research group at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. He is an elected member of EMBO and of the DFG review board “Basic Research in Biology and Medicine.” His group combines structural biology, biochemistry, biophysics, and structure-informed functional analyses to elucidate molecular mechanisms of gene expression.

Moderation: Professor Dr. Michael Lammers