Identification of Novel sRNAs in Mycobacterial Species
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Bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs) are short transcripts that typically do not encode proteins and often act as regulators of gene expression through a variety of mechanisms. Regulatory sRNAs have been identified in many species, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis. Here, we use a computational algorithm to predict sRNA candidates in the mycobacterial species M. smegmatis and M. bovis BCG and confirmed the expression of many sRNAs using Northern blotting. Thus, we have identified 17 and 23 novel sRNAs in M. smegmatis and M. bovis BCG, respectively. We have also applied a high-throughput technique (Deep-RACE) to map the 5′ and 3′ ends of many of these sRNAs and identified potential regulators of sRNAs by analysis of existing ChIP-seq datasets. The sRNAs identified in this work likely contribute to the unique biology of mycobacteria.
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Catherine Baranowski, Kathleen A. McDonough, Joseph T. Wade, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
Jonathan Livny, Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
Kathleen A. McDonough, Joseph T. Wade, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, New York, United States of America