The Involvement of Ribonuclease I, Ribonuclease II, and Polynucleotide Phosphorylase in the Degradation of Stable Ribonucleic Acid during Carbon Starvation in Escherichia coli

Using Escherichia coli mutants, some of them lacking in ribonuclease I (RNase I, EC 2.7.7.17) and others containing various combinations of modified and unmodified ribonuclease II (RNase II, EC 3.1.4.1) and polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase, EC 2.7.7.8), it was possible to show that the three enzymes RNase I, RNase II, and PNPase participate in the degradation of stable RNA during carbon starvation.