Effect of rpoE on the Non-coding RNA Expression Profiles of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi under the Stress of Ampicillin

Gene transcription in bacteria is mainly triggered by sigma factors ( σ factors), such as rpoE . Bacterial ncRNAs are key players in reprogramming protein transcription when the environment changes. In our experiment, under the stress of ampicillin, the ncRNA transcriptomes of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi wild-type strain (WT) and rpoE -deficient strain (Δ rpoE ) were sequenced and analyzed, and four ncRNAs were selected to be verified by qRT-PCR. Of the ncRNA transcripts tested, 57 ncRNAs were found to have significantly different expressions (fold changes > 2) in Δ rpoE compared to WT, with 31 being upregulated and 26 being downregulated. The expression levels of the four ncRNAs verified preliminarily by subsequent qRT-PCR showed consistency with the sequencing data. Our study revealed the differences in ncRNA expression profiles between Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi WT and Δ rpoE under ampicillin stress. The four ncRNAs identified by qRT-PCR and their associated signaling pathways may be related to the envelope stress and antibiotic susceptibility of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi.