Research article

No detectable effect of RNA-binding protein Hfq absence in Staphylococcus aureus

Chantal Bohn^* , Candice Rigoulay^* and Philippe Bouloc

Signalisation et Réseaux de Régulations Bactériens. Institut de Génétique et Microbiologie, CNRS/UMR 8621, Centre scientifique d'Orsay, Université Paris Sud, bâtiment 400, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France

author email corresponding author email* Contributed equally

BMC Microbiology 2007, 7:10doi:10.1186/1471-2180-7-10

Published:	9 February 2007

Abstract

Background

The RNA-binding protein Hfq is involved in stress and virulence of several pathogens, probably due to its role as mediator in small RNA (sRNA)-mRNA interactions. In this study, we investigate the function of Hfq in the Gram-positive pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, by constructing hfq null mutant derivatives.

Results

We report that unexpectedly, in S. aureus, Hfq does not seem to play a crucial role in stress response, RNAIII or spa mRNA quantity and exoprotein expression, as tested in three virulent genetic backgrounds. Moreover, a global analysis of the RN6390 hfq mutant, which tests ~ 2000 phenotypes, supports our results concerning the non-implication of Hfq in stress response, and shows that Hfq is also not involved in resistance to several chemical agents and antibiotics and does not seem to be implicated in metabolic pathways.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that although sRNA-mRNA interactions in S. aureus are decisive for gene expression regulation, they do not require the RNA-chaperone protein Hfq. These interactions possibly require an RNA-chaperone protein other than Hfq, which remains to be found.