sRNAs in Rhizobium etli differentially expressed during free-living and host-associated growth

89 small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) were identified in the soil-dwelling alpha-proteobacterium Rhizobium etli by comparing an extensive compilation of ncRNA predictions to intergenic expression data of a whole-genome tiling array. The differential expression levels of some of these ncRNAs during free-living growth and during interaction with the eukaryotic host plant may indicate a role in adaptation to changing environmental conditions. In order to study expression in the free-living state, wild-type R. etli CFN42 was grown at 30˚C in acid minimal salts medium supplied with 10 mM NH4Cl and 10 mM succinate while monitoring the optical density (OD) of the culture. Samples were taken at OD600 = 0.3, 0.7 and 6 hours after reaching the maximum OD, representing early/late exponential and stationary phase, respectively. In order to study gene expression during host-associated growth, common bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Limburgse vroege) were cultivated and inoculated as described previously. Nodules were harvested 2 and 3 weeks after inoculation and the bacteroids were purified by differential centrifugation.