RNA-seq analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans exposed to bacterial PNGase enzymes

Peptide:N-glycosidase (PNGase) enzymes produced by bacteria have the potential to influence host cellular physiology. To investigate host transcriptional responses to bacterial PNGase activity, we performed bulk RNA sequencing on whole Caenorhabditis elegans exposed to active PNGaseDJ, PNGaseF, or an inactive PNGase mutant (DJ101A). Differential gene expression and pathway enrichment analyses were used to identify biological programs affected by PNGase exposure. Overall design: Whole C. elegans animals were exposed to bacterial PNGaseDJ, PNGaseF, or an inactive PNGase mutant (DJ101A). Two independent biological replicates were collected per condition. Total RNA was extracted and subjected to single-end RNA sequencing. Differential gene expression was assessed between each PNGase treatment and the DJ101A control, followed by pathway-level enrichment analysis.