Tracking the elusive function of Bacillus subtilis Hfq (NimbleGen)

Transcriptomic analysis of Bacillus subtilis hfq mutant in exponential phase of growth. Wild-type strain and hfq mutant cells in exponentially growth phase were subjected to tiling array gene expression analysis. RNA-binding protein Hfq is a key component of the adaptive responses of many proteobacterial species. In these organisms, the importance of Hfq largely stems from its participation to regulatory mechanisms involving small non-coding RNAs. In contrast, the function of Hfq in Gram-positive bacteria has remained elusive. Hfq does not appear to influence B.subtilis RNA patterns during the exponential phase to any significant extent, at least in cells grown in rich medium. This data set contains 4 samples. Expression profiles of Bacillus subtilis prototype strain (BSB1, a tryptophan-prototrophic derivative 168 strain) and a ∆hfq mutant were examined at OD ~0.5 in LB medium. Two biological replicates were analyzed.