Small regulatory RNAs and Sugar-phosphate Stress in E. coli
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In my laboratory we are interested in understanding
how bacteria sense stressful environmental conditions and modulate gene
expression in a way that allows them to adapt to or recover from the
stress and continue to grow and compete with other cells in their
environment. We are particularly interested in the roles of small
regulatory RNAs in regulation of bacterial stress responses. Small RNAs
(sRNAs) have only recently been recognized for their diverse roles in
regulation of cellular processes. sRNAs are crucial for development in
higher organisms. In eubacteria, sRNAs regulate responses to many
environmental stresses. Global screens for sRNAs in Escherichia coli have
uncovered more than 70 novel sRNAs of unknown function; a subclass of
these bacterial sRNAs has a functional requirement for binding to the
RNA chaperone Hfq. This type of sRNA has been found to regulate
translation or stability of mRNA targets by a mechanism that requires
sRNA:mRNA basepairing interactions.
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