Rifampin resistance mutations that alter the efficiency of transcription termination at the tryptophan operon attenuator

Abstract

Rifampin-resistant mutants of Escherichia coli were isolated which had altered patterns of resistance or sensitivity to the inhibitory compounds 5-methyltryptophan and 5-methylanthranilate. The levels of tryptophan (trp) operon polypeptides in different rifampin-resistant mutants were elevated or reduced, in a manner consistent with their sensitivity to the two analogs. Complementation tests established that the mutations were in rpoB, the structural gene for the beta subunit of ribonucleic acid polymerase. Introduction of these rpoB mutations into mutant strains which terminate transcription abnormally at the trp operon attenuator established that the rpoB mutations alter trp operon expression by increasing or decreasing transcription termination at the attenuator. The rpoB mutations affected transcription termination at the attenuator only in strains which were able to form what is thought to be a ribonucleic acid termination structure. These findings suggest that alteration of the beta subunit of ribonucleic acid polymerase directly or indirectly affects ribonucleic acid polymerase's recognition of the transcription termination signal at the trp operon attenuator.