The small transcriptome of Escherichia coli in exponential and stationary phase

We have deep sequenced the small transcriptome of Escherichia coli growing in LB and in MOPS, in exponential and stationary phase, and analyzed the resulting reads by a novel pipeline STARPA (Stable RNA Processing Product Analyzer). Our analysis reveals over 14,000 small transcripts enriched during both growth stages. RNA samples were collected from total RNA pools or from crude ribosome pools and then size selected by electrophoresis to limit the products to 20-300nt. Differential expression analysis demonstrates the presence of enriched small transcripts in stationary phase, likely mediating regulatory functions.