Hfq orchestrates a robust RNA-RNA interaction network in Acinetobacter baumannii. [RIL-Seq]

A key challenge for understanding the role(s) played by short, non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) in bacteria is identifying the mRNA targets regulated by the sRNAs. Because the Hfq protein mediates the interactions between many sRNAs and the corresponding target mRNAs, one apporach to identify the mRNA targets of sRNAs is to capture sRNA:mRNA interactions occuring on Hfq by exposing cells to UV-irradiation, which forms cross-links between nucleic acids and proteins. We subjected cells of A. baumannii strain AB5075 and a derivative of AB5075 harboring a C-terminal VSV-G epitope on Hfq to UV-irradiation, immune-precipitated the Hfq-RNA complexes, ligated neighboring RNA molecules together with RNA Ligase, and then purififed the resulting RNAs. These RNAs were converted into cDNA libraries and sequenced using the Illumina NextSeq platform and then subjected to RIL-seq analysis pipeline (version 0.78) to identify chimeric RNA molecules. Overall design: Applying RIL-seq to WT AB5075 and a derivative thereof that carrys a chromosomally-encoded Hfq-VSVG for two different growth conditions