Regulation of Hfq mRNA and protein levels in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by the Burkholderia cenocepacia MtvR sRNA

Abstract

Small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) are important players of gene expression regulation in bacterial pathogens. MtvR is a 136-nucleotide long sRNA previously identified in the human pathogen Burkholderia cenocepacia J2315 and with homologues restricted to bacteria of the Burkholderia cepacia complex. In this work we have investigated the effects of expressing MtvR in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Results are presented showing that MtvR negatively regulates the hfq mRNA levels in both bacterial species. In the case of E. coli, this negative regulation is shown to involve binding of MtvR to the 59-UTR region of the hfqEc mRNA. Results presented also show that expression of MtvR in E. coli and P. aeruginosa originates multiple phenotypes, including reduced resistance to selected stresses, biofilm formation ability, and increased susceptibility to various antibiotics. © 2014 Ramos et al.