Membrane vesicle-mediated release of bacterial RNA

Many Gram-negative bacterial species release outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) that interact with the host by delivering virulence factors. Here, we report for the first time that RNA is among the wide variety of bacterial components that are associated with OMVs. To characterize the RNA profiles of bacterial OMVs, we performed RNA deep sequencing analysis using OMV samples isolated from a wild type Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor strain. The results showed that RNAs originating from intergenic regions were the most abundant. Our findings reveal a hitherto unrecognised feature of OMVs mimicking eukaryotic exosomes and highlight a need to evaluate the potential role of RNA-containing bacterial membrane vesicles in bacteria-host interactions.