An expanded transcriptome atlas for Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron reveals a small RNA that modulates tetracycline sensitivity.

Plasticity in gene expression allows bacteria to adapt to diverse environments. This is particularly relevant in the dynamic niche of the human intestinal tract; however, transcriptional networks remain largely unknown for gut-resident bacteria. Here we apply differential RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and conventional RNA-seq to the model gut bacterium Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron to map transcriptional units and profile their expression levels across 15 in vivo-relevant growth conditions.

An integrated transcriptomics-functional genomics approach reveals a small RNA that modulates sensitivity to tetracyclines.

Gene expression plasticity allows bacteria to adapt to diverse environments, tie their metabolism to available nutrients, and cope with stress. This is particularly relevant in a niche as dynamic and hostile as the human intestinal tract, yet transcriptional networks remain largely unknown in gut spp. Here, we map transcriptional units and profile their expression levels in over a suite of 15 defined experimental conditions that are relevant , such as variation of temperature, pH, and oxygen tension, exposure to antibiotic stress, and growth on simple carbohydrates or on host mucin-derived glycans.