Glycine-rich RNA binding protein of Oryza sativa inhibits growth of M15 E. coli cells

BACKGROUND: Plant glycine-rich RNA binding proteins have been implicated to have roles in diverse abiotic stresses. FINDINGS: E. coli M15 cells transformed with full-length rice glycine-rich RNA binding protein4 (OsGR-RBP4), truncated rice glycine-rich RNA binding protein4 (OsGR-RBP4ΔC) and rice FK506 binding protein (OsFKBP20) were analyzed for growth profiles using both broth and solid media. Expression of OsGR-RBP4 and OsGR-RBP4ΔC proteins caused specific, inhibitory effect on growth of recombinant M15 E. coli cells. The bacterial inhibition was shown to be time and incubation temperature dependent. Removal of the inducer, IPTG, resulted in re-growth of the cells, indicating that effect of the foreign proteins was of reversible nature. Although noted at different levels of dilution factors, addition of purified Os-GR-RBP4 and OsGR-RBP4ΔC showed a similar inhibitory effect as seen with expression inside the bacterial cells. CONCLUSIONS: Expression of eukaryotic, stress-associated OsGR-RBP4 protein in prokaryotic E. coli M15 cells proves injurious to the growth of the bacterial cells. E. coli genome does not appear to encode for any protein that has significant homology to OsGR-RBP4 protein. Therefore, the mechanism of inhibition appears to be due to some illegitimate interactions of the OsGR-RBP4 with possibly the RNA species of the trans-host bacterial cells. The detailed mechanism underlying this inhibition remains to be worked out.