Characterization of an RNase III mutant of Rhodobacter sphaeroides

Abstract

In this work an RNase III deletion mutant of the facultative phototrophic α-proteobacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides was characterized. The aim of this study was to identify differences in phenotype and RNA physiology between wild type and mutant, which can be explained by a loss of RNase III activity. We analyzed the growth behaviour of the mutant and the wild type under different growth conditions, including microaerobic and phototrophic mode of growth. As Rhodobacter sphaeroides is known for its metabolic versatility, we were also interested in regulation of the transcriptome. The results suggests that the deletion of the RNase III coding gene (rnc) strongly impacts phenotype and transcriptome of Rhodobacter sphaeroides.