BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Investigating the role of the small RNA binding protein\, Hfq\, in
  virulence and secondary metabolite production in Serratia sp. ATCC 39006 
 - Nabil Wilf\, PhD student\, St John's College
DTSTART:20101004T180000Z
DTEND:20101004T200000Z
UID:TALK26903@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Echo Ouyang
DESCRIPTION:Serratia sp. ATCC 39006 (S39006) is a Gram-negative bacterium 
 virulent in plant\n(potato) and animal (Caenorhabditis elegans) models. It
  produces two secondary\nmetabolite antibiotics\, prodigiosin and a carbap
 enem\, and the exoenzymes\,\npectate lyase and cellulase. A complex regula
 tory network controls production\nof prodigiosin\, including a quorum sens
 ing (QS) system\, and we hypothesize that\nHfq-dependent small regulatory 
 RNAs might also play a role. Hfq is an RNA\nchaperone involved in post-tra
 nscriptional regulation that plays a key role in\nstress response and viru
 lence in other bacterial species. We constructed an\nS39006 ∆hfq mutant 
 and showed that production of prodigiosin and carbapenem\nwas abolished\, 
 while production of the QS molecule\, butanoyl homoserine lactone\n(BHL)\,
  was unaffected. Using transcriptional fusions\, we found that Hfq\nregula
 tes the QS response regulators\, SmaR and CarR. Additionally\, exoenzyme\n
 production and swimming motility are decreased in ∆hfq\, and virulence i
 s\nattenuated in potato and C. elegans. We are currently analysing the who
 le\ntranscriptome of S39006 WT and ∆hfq\, sequenced by RNA-seq\, in orde
 r to define\nthe complete regulon of Hfq. This study confirms a role for H
 fq in pathogenesis\nand the regulation of secondary metabolite production 
 in S39006\, increasing\nfurther the complexity of the currently described 
 regulatory network.\n
LOCATION:Old Music Room\, St John's College
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR