The transcriptional pattern of Clostridium acetobutylicum following the downregulation of CAC0654 using antisense RNA

Little is known regarding the entry into and the regulation of genes during the sporulation process of clostridia. Using C. acetobutylicum as a model organism we designed an antisense RNA construct targeting the CAC0654 gene to investigate the role of this gene during sporulation and solvent formation. Samples were taken throughout the growth phase and compared to a plasmid control strain to elucidate the transcriptional changes induced by the downregulation of the two-component system CAC0653 and CAC0654 Samples were taken from a Bioflow II reactor at approximately 9, 12, 13.5, 15, 17, and 19 hrs after bioreactor inoculation containing strain 824(p654as). Two slides per timepoint were hybridized on a dye swap configuration. The control mRNA was generated by combining samples taken at 9, 12, 13.5, 15, 17, and 19 hrs hrs after bioreactor inoculation of the control plasmid strain, 824(pSOS95del). The replicate slide from the 12 hour sample showed high deviations and was discarded from the series.