NTHi 86-028NP Transcriptome

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a commensal microorganism of the normal human nasopharyngeal flora, yet also an opportunistic pathogen of the upper and lower respiratory tracts. Changes in gene expression patterns in response to host microenvironments are likely critical for survival. One such system of gene regulation is the ability to carefully regulate iron uptake. A central regulatory system that controls iron uptake, mediated by the ferric uptake regulator Fur, is present in multiple bacteria, including NTHi. To understand the regulation of iron homeostasis in NTHi, fur was deleted in the NTHi strain 86-028NPrpsL. Using RNA-seq, we identified both protein-encoding and small RNA genes whose expression was repressed or activated by Fur. Overall design: These data comprise transcriptional anaylses of an rpsL mutant of 86-028NP, an isogenic fur mutant of 86-028NPrpsL and a complemented fur mutant strain. All strains were grown in defined medium containing 10 µg /ml human hemoglobin to mid-log phase. Cells were then harvested and RNA extracted. A total of three biological replicates were generated for these analyses.