Expression of Escherichia coli ribosomal protein and RNA polymerase genes cloned on plasmids.

Fragments of lambda drifd 18 DNA with different end-points within the set of structural genes of ribosomal proteins L11 (RPLK), Li (rplA), L10 (rplJ) and L12 (rplL) as well as the beta (rpoB) ANd beta' (rpoC) subunits of RNA polymerase have been cloned on plasmids. These plasmids were transformed in host cells which were mutant for each of the genes, enabling expression of both wild-type (plasmid-borne) and mutant (chromosomal) genes to be differentiated. On the basis of these results we propose the following genetic structure for the region: rplK and rplA are in one operon; rplL, rpoB and rpoC are in a second. Our data suggest the possibility that rplJ is by itself in an operon situated between the other two.