[2] The Hfq protein is now known to regulate the translation of two major stress transcription factors ( σS (RpoS) and σE (RpoE) ) in Enterobacteria.
[7] In Salmonella, Hfq deletion mutants are also non motile and exhibit chronic activation of the sigma mediated envelope stress response.
Hfq mutants accumulate higher levels of immature small subunits and decreased translation accuracy.
[12] This function on the bacterial ribosome could also account for the pleiotropic effect typical of Hfq deletion strains.
[13] Electron microscopy imaging reveals that, in addition to the expected localization of this protein in cytoplasmic regions and in the nucleoid, an important fraction of Hfq is located in close proximity to the membrane.