Protein synthesis in vitro by Micrococcus luteus.

Bacillus subtilis and related gram-positive bacteria which have low to moderate genomic G + C contents are unable to efficiently translate mRNA derived from gram-negative bacteria, whereas Escherichia coli and other gram-negative bacteria are able to translate mRNA from both types of organisms. This phenomenon has been termed translational species specificity. Ribosomes from the low-G + C-content group (low-G + C group) of gram-positive organisms (B. subtilis and relatives) lack an equivalent to Escherichia ribosomal protein S1. The requirement for S1 for translation in E. coli (G. van Dieijen, P. H. van Knippenberg, J. van Duin, B. Koekman, and P. H. Pouwels, Mol. Gen. Genet. 153:75-80, 1977) and its specific role (A.R. Subramanian, Trends Biochem. Sci. 9:491-494, 1984) have been proposed. The group of gram-positive bacteria characterized by high genomic G + C content (formerly Actinomyces species and relatives) contain S1, in contrast to the low-G + C group (K. Mikulik, J. Smardova, A. Jiranova, and P. Branny, Eur. J. Biochem. 155:557-563, 1986). It is not known whether members of the high-G + C group are translationally specific, although there is evidence that one genus, Streptomyces, can express Escherichia genes in vivo (M. J. Bibb and S. N. Cohen, Mol. Gen. Genet. 187:265-277, 1985; J. L. Schottel, M. J. Bibb, and S. N. Cohen, J. Bacteriol. 146:360-368, 1981). In order to determine whether the organisms of this group are translationally specific, we examined the in vitro translational characteristics of a member of the high-G + C group, Micrococcus luteus, whose genomic G + C content is 73%. A semipurified coupled transcription-translation system of M. luteus translates Escherichia mRNA as well as Bacillus and Micrococcus mRNA. Therefore, M. luteus is translationally nonspecific and resembles E. coli rather than B. subtilis in its translational characteristics.