Abstract
To gain insight into the mechanism by which the sequence at the rne-dependent site of substrate RNA affects the substrate specificity of Escherichia coli RNase E, we performed kinetic analysis of the cleavage of precursor M 1 RNA molecules containing various sequences at the rne-dependent site by the N-terminal catalytic half of RNase E (NTH-RNase E). NTH-RNase E displayed higher Km and kcat values for more specific substrates. The retention of single strandedness at the rne-dependent site was essential for cleavage efficiency. Moreover, the loss of single-strandedness was accompanied by a decrease in both the Km and kcat values.
