RNA extraction and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assay

Bacterial strains were grown to mid-exponential growth phase and then induced by 0.002% arabinose for 2 hr. Cells were harvested and washed by PBS twice. Total RNA extraction was carried out using total RNA extraction reagent (Vazyme R403, China), following the manufacture’s instruction. Subsequently, 1 μg of total RNA was digested with DNase I and reverse transcribed to cDNA using a reverse transcription kit (Vazyme R223, China). The resulting cDNA was used as template for RT-qPCR (Vazyme Q711, China). The RT-qPCR assay were analyzed using BIO-RAD CFX Connect Real-Time PCR Detection Systems. The 16 S rRNA gene was selected as the internal control. The primers used in RT-qPCR assay were listed in Key resources table. All experiments were performed in biological triplicates to ensure reliability and reproducibility of the results.