A highly conserved sRNA downregulates multiple genes, including a σ⁵⁴ transcriptional activator, in the virulence mode of <i>Bordetella pertussis</i>.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial small non-coding RNA (sRNAs), together with the RNA chaperone Hfq, post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression by affecting ribosome binding or mRNA stability. In the human pathogen Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, hundreds of sRNAs have been identified, but their roles in B. pertussis biology are mostly unknown. Here we characterize the Hfq-dependent sRNABpsA, whose level is dramatically higher in the virulence (Bvg⁺) mode. We show that transcription from a σ^A-dependent promoter yields a long form of 190 nucleotides (nt) that is processed by RNase E to generate a shorter, more stable form (BpsA-S) of 67 nt. The transcript also encodes a small protein of 32 amino acids. Using RNA-seq and real time PCR, we identif

SUBMITTER: Sim M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12345200 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature