Dynamical changes triggered by the amyloidogenesis of Hfq-CTR

The Hfq protein is reported to be involved in environmental adaptation and virulence of several bacteria. In Gram-negative bacteria, Hfq mediates the interaction between regulatory noncoding RNAs and their target mRNAs. Besides these RNA-related functions, Hfq is also associated with DNA and is a part of the bacterial chromatin. Its precise role in DNA structuration is, however, unclear and whether Hfq plays a direct role in DNA-related processes such as replication or recombination is controversial. Inelastic neutron, due to its sensitivity to hydrogen atoms, is expected to shed light on the dynamical changes triggered by the amyloidogenesis of Hfq-CTR. This results will be helpful in elucidating the mechanism of hydrogen bonding interactions in action during the fibrillar structure formation.