title: Identification and characterization of small RNAs in Yersinia pestis.
abstract: Yersinia pestis, the etiologic agent of plague, is closely related to Yersinia pseudotuberculosis evolutionarily but has a very different mode of infection. The RNA-binding regulatory protein, Hfq, mediates regulation by small RNAs (sRNAs) and is required for virulence of both Y. pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis. Moreover, Hfq is required for growth of Y. pestis, but not Y. pseudotuberculosis, at 37°C. Together, these observations suggest that sRNAs play important roles in the virulence and survival of Y. pestis, and that regulation by sRNAs may account for some of the differences between Y. pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis. We have used a deep sequencing approach to identify 31 sRNAs in Y. pestis. The majority of these sRNAs are not conserved outside the Yersiniae. Expression of the sRNAs was confirmed by Northern analysis and we developed deep sequencing approaches to map 5' and 3' ends of many sRNAs simultaneously. Expression of the majority of the sRNAs we identified is dependent upon Hfq. We also observed temperature-dependent effects on the expression of many sRNAs, and differences in expression patterns between Y. pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis. Thus, our data suggest that regulation by sRNAs plays an important role in the lifestyle switch from flea to mammalian host, and that regulation by sRNAs may contribute to the phenotypic differences between Y. pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis.
authors: Wadsworth Center; New York State Department of Health; Albany, NY USA.
authors: Arthur
authors: A
authors: Beauregard
authors: Eric A
authors: EA
authors: Smith
authors: Brianna L
authors: BL
authors: Petrone
authors: Navjot
authors: N
authors: Singh
authors: Christopher
authors: C
authors: Karch
authors: Kathleen A
authors: KA
authors: McDonough
authors: Joseph T
authors: JT
authors: Wade
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D035001:Host Factor 1 Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D010641:Phenotype; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D058727:RNA, Small Untranslated / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D017385:Sequence Homology; D005423:Siphonaptera / Q000382:microbiology; D013696:Temperature; D037521:Virulence Factors; D015010:Yersinia pestis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D015011:Yersinia pseudotuberculosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D035001:Host Factor 1 Protein; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D058727:RNA, Small Untranslated; D037521:Virulence Factors
keywords: Deep-RACE; Hfq; RNA-seq; Y. pseudotuberculosis; Yersinia pestis; plague; small RNA