Comparison of the expression profiles of wild-type Rhodobacter capsulatus and a GTA hyperproducer (DE442) by RNAseq.

Gene Transfer Agents (GTAs) are small virus-like particles that transfer random fragments of host bacterial DNA between cells. Unlike true viruses, whose primary aim is self-preservation, GTAs have no preference for the spread of their own genes. GTAs are typically produced from less than 1% of the population, making in-depth analysis of producer cells problematic. Here, we compared the transcriptome of wild-type R. capsulatus and a GTA hyperproducer, DE442, in which up to 40% of cells express GTAs. Examination of expression profiles of 4 WT and 8 GTA hyperproducer Rhodobacter capsulatus samples by RNASeq