Recent reports have indicated that small RNAs have key roles in the response of the E.coli to stress and also in the regulating of virulence factors. It seems that some small non-coding RNAs are involved in multidrug resistance. Previous studies have indicated that rprA can increase the tolerance to Kanamycin in RcsB-deficient Escherichia coli K-12 following osmotic shock. The current study aims to clone and over-express the non-coding RNA rprA in E.coli and investigate its effect on the bacterial resistance to Kanamycin without any osmotic shock. For this purpose, rprA gene was amplified by the PCR and then cloned into the PET-28a (+) vector. The recombinant plasmid was transformed into wild type E.coli BL21 (DE3). The over expression was induced by IPTG and confirmed by qRT-PCR. The resistance to the kanamycin was then measured in different times by spectrophotometry. The statistical analysis showed that the rprA can increase the resistance to Kanamycin in Ecoli K12. The interaction between rprA and rpoS was reviewed and analyzed by in silico methods. The results showed that the bacteria with over-expressed rprA were more resistant to Kanamycin. The present study is an important step to prove the role of non-coding RNA rprA in bacterial resistance. The data can be the basis for future works and can also help to develop and deliver next-generation antibiotics.
Keywords: Escherichia coli; Kanamycin; non-coding RNA; rprA.