Post-transcriptional control of expression of the repA gene of plasmid R1 mediated by a small RNA molecule.

Fusions between the repA gene of plasmid R1 (required for autonomous plasmid replication) and the lac genes have been the basis for in vivo studies of regulation of repA expression. Two gene products--the CopA RNA and the CopB protein--act as inhibitors of repA expression. Comparison of the effects of addition in trans of the two Cop functions on transcription and translation of repA-lac gene fusions show that the CopB protein represses transcription of the repA gene, whereas the CopA RNA interferes with the RepA mRNA in such a way that effective translation is inhibited. The CopA RNA does not seem to have a direct effect on the transcription of the repA gene but, as a consequence of the posttranscriptional regulation, transcriptional polarity within the repA gene is observed. It is also shown that the CopA RNA interacts with its target (CopT) only when the region is transcribed to form RepA mRNA.