Pleiotropic role of the RNA chaperone protein Hfq in the human pathogen Clostridium difficile.

ABSTRACT: Clostridium difficile is an emergent human pathogen and the most common cause of nosocomial diarrhea. Our recent data strongly suggest the importance of RNA-based mechanisms for the control of gene expression in C. difficile. In an effort to understand the function of the RNA chaperone protein Hfq, we constructed and characterized an Hfq-depleted strain in C. difficile. Hfq depletion led to a growth defect, morphological changes, an increased sensitivity to stresses, and a better ability to sporulate and to form biofilms. The transcriptome analysis revealed pleiotropic effects of Hfq depletion on gene expression in C. difficile, including genes encoding proteins involved in sporulation, stress response, metabolic pathways, cell wall-associated proteins, transporters, and transcriptional re

SUBMITTER: Boudry P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4135688 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature