Synergistic Regulation of Transcription and Translation in Escherichia coli Revealed by Codirectional Increases in mRNA Concentration and Translation Efficiency
Huong Le Nguyen, Marie-Pierre Duviau, Sandrine Laguerre, Sébastien Nouaille, Muriel Cocaign‐Bousquet, Laurence Girbal
Abstract
The process of gene expression is divided into translation and transcription. Considerable efforts have been made in bacteria to characterize the mechanisms underlying translational regulation and identify the regulatory factors for particular mRNAs. However, to understand bacterial physiology and adaptation, it is important to elucidate genome-wide translational regulation and examine its coordination with transcriptional regulation. Here, we provided a genome-wide picture of translational regulation in Escherichia coli. For most genes, nearly all mRNA copies were found to undergo translation but were loaded with a low number of ribosomes. We showed that mRNA concentration had a positive effect on translation regulation, linking translational regulation to transcriptional regulation as well as to cell physiology and growth conditions. The codirectional regulation of transcription and translation had synergistic effects on gene expression, contributing to E. coli cell function optimization. This finding could be used in biotechnology to optimize strategies for recombinant protein synthesis.