(488.6) Identification and Characterization of Small Regulatory RNA in Streptococcus

Poster Board Number: A67

Klea Hoxha (Coastal Carolina University ), William Oakes III (Coastal Carolina University ), Nicole Ward (Scholars Academy), L. Busby (Coastal Carolina University ), Gabriela Pérez-Alvarado (Coastal Carolina University), Brian Lee (Coastal Carolina University)

The human gut is a rich habitat for a diverse population of bacteria. These bacteria play a vital role in a multitude of functions by interacting with each-other and the human host. They can play roles in immune responses, metabolism, and even neurological activities. Some inhabitants of the gut biome include the lactic acid bacteria: Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. These bacteria are essential members of the flora and are non-pathogenic, however, some of their relatives like Streptococcus pyogenes cause severe diseases like toxic shock syndrome and flesh-eating disease. The metabolic functions of these bacteria are mediated by small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs), which are noncoding RNA sequences that fold into complex stem-loop structures. The goal of this project was to identify and characterize the small regulatory RNAs that mediate bacterial metabolism and host interactions in non-pathogenic, lactic acid bacteria. A small regulatory RNA that is conserved among different streptococcal species was identified. In S. pyogenes, this conserved sRNA, named MarS, is associated with virulence, however, the function of its ortholog found in non-pathogenic bacteria, AsdS sRNA, has not been well-characterized. Computational methods were used to elucidate the function of this sRNA as well as predict its 2D and 3D structures. The gene containing the target sRNA was isolated and RNA constructs were designed to characterize regions that are part of it. Future work will be focused on structure determination and characterizing interactions to target sRNA through biophysical and biochemical methods.

Research reported in this abstract was supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award number P20GM103499.