Transcriptional control via translational repression by c4 antisense RNA of bacteriophages P1 and P7

Abstract

The c4 repressors of bacteriophages P1 and P7 are antisense RNAs that inhibit antirepressor synthesis. This antisense inhibition is unusual in that the c4 repressor and the repressed genes orfx and ant are cotranscribed in that order from the same promoter, and c4 RNA is processed from a precursor RNA. Here, we show that c4 RNA directly represses translation of orfx, a small open reading frame, to which ant is translationally coupled. This translational repression blocks ant transcription via a ρ-dependent terminator. Thus, c4 RNA controls expression of the ant gene by a novel indirect mechanism combining translational repression, translational coupling, and ρ-dependent termination.