The Small RNAs PA2952.1 and PrrH as Regulators of Virulence, Motility, and Iron Metabolism in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Shannon R. Coleman, Manjeet Bains, Maren L. Smith, Victor Spicer, Ying Lao, Patrick K. Taylor, Neeloffer Mookherjee, Robert E. W. Hancock
Abstract
infections, it is important to understand the regulatory mechanisms that allow this bacterium to adapt to and thrive under a variety of conditions. Small RNAs (sRNAs) are one regulatory mechanism that allows bacteria to change the amount of protein synthesized. In this study, we overexpressed 20 different sRNAs in order to investigate how this might affect different bacterial behaviors. We found that one of the sRNAs, PrrH, played a role in swimming motility and virulence phenotypes, indicating a potentially important role in clinical infections. Another sRNA, PA2952.1, affected other clinically relevant phenotypes, including motility and antibiotic resistance. RNA-Seq and proteomics of the strain overexpressing PA2952.1 revealed the differential expression of 784 genes and 59 proteins, with a total of 73 regulatory factors. This substantial dysregulation indicates an important role for the sRNA PA2952.1.