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Molecular and Cellular Biology, April 2000, p. 2308-2316, Vol. 20, No. 7
0270-7306/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

UTP-Dependent and -Independent Pathways of mRNA Turnover in Trypanosoma brucei Mitochondria

Kevin T. Militello and Laurie K. Read*

Department of Microbiology and Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14214

Received 12 August 1999/Returned for modification 12 October 1999/Accepted 13 January 2000

Although primary transcripts are polycistronic in the mitochondria of Trypanosoma brucei, steady-state levels of mature, monocistronic RNAs change throughout the parasitic life cycle. This indicates that steady-state RNA abundance is controlled by posttranscriptional mechanisms involving differential RNA stability. In this study, in organello pulse-chase labeling experiments were used to analyze the stability of different T. brucei mitochondrial RNA populations. In this system, total RNA and rRNA are stable for many hours. In contrast, mRNAs can be degraded by two biochemically distinct turnover pathways. The first pathway results in the rapid degradation of mRNA (half-life [t1/2] of 11 to 18 min) and is dependent upon the presence of an mRNA poly(A) tail. Remarkably, this pathway also requires the addition of UTP and therefore is termed UTP dependent. The second pathway results in slow turnover of mitochondrial mRNA (t1/2 of ~3 h) and is not dependent upon the presence of an mRNA poly(A) tail or the addition of exogenous UTP. In summary, these results demonstrate the presence of a novel, UTP-dependent degradation pathway for T. brucei mitochondrial mRNAs and reveal an unprecedented role for both UTP and mRNA polyadenylation in T. brucei mitochondrial gene expression.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: State University of New York at Buffalo, Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, 138 Farber Hall, 3435 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14214-3000. Phone: (716) 829-3307. Fax: (716) 829-2158. E-mail: lread{at}acsu.buffalo.edu.

Molecular and Cellular Biology, April 2000, p. 2308-2316, Vol. 20, No. 7
0270-7306/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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