@article{mbs:/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.000718, author = "Zhu, Wenhui and Liu, Shanshan and Liu, Jia and Zhou, Yan and Lin, Huancai", title = "High-throughput sequencing identification and characterization of potentially adhesion-related small RNAs in Streptococcus mutans", journal= "Journal of Medical Microbiology", year = "2018", volume = "67", number = "5", pages = "641-651", doi = "https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.000718", url = "https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.000718", publisher = "Microbiology Society", issn = "1473-5644", type = "Journal Article", keywords = "small RNAs", keywords = "adherence", keywords = "dental caries", keywords = "Streptococcus mutans", keywords = "clinical strains", abstract = " Purpose. Adherence capacity is one of the principal virulence factors of Streptococcus mutans, and adhesion virulence factors are controlled by small RNAs (sRNAs) at the post-transcriptional level in various bacteria. Here, we aimed to identify and decipher putative adhesion-related sRNAs in clinical strains of S. mutans. Methodology. RNA deep-sequencing was performed to identify potential sRNAs under different adhesion conditions. The expression of sRNAs was analysed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and bioinformatic methods were used to predict the functional characteristics of sRNAs. Results. A total of 736 differentially expressed candidate sRNAs were predicted, and these included 352 sRNAs located on the antisense to mRNA (AM) and 384 sRNAs in intergenic regions (IGRs). The top 7 differentially expressed sRNAs were successfully validated by qRT-PCR in UA159, and 2 of these were further confirmed in 100 clinical isolates. Moreover, the sequences of two sRNAs were conserved in other Streptococcus species, indicating a conserved role in such closely related species. A good correlation between the expression of sRNAs and the adhesion of 100 clinical strains was observed, which, combined with GO and KEGG, provides a perspective for the comprehension of sRNA function annotation. Conclusion. This study revealed a multitude of novel putative adhesion-related sRNAs in S. mutans and contributed to a better understanding of information concerning the transcriptional regulation of adhesion in S. mutans.", }