Analysis of gene expression in the rel- + relA+ and rel- + relAE335Q strains of Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942 with RNA sequencing during constant light conditions

We investigated the role of the basal levels of ppGpp in Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942 in constant light. We performed RNA-seq experiments using the rel- + relA+ and rel- + relAE335Q strains and show that basal levels of ppGpp are required for regulation of global transcription in light. Enriched mRNA was prepared from synchronized S. elongatus cells at indicated time points using the Illumina TruSeq Stranded mRNA Sample Prep Kit and Illumina HiSeq technology.