Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
RNA Biol. 2013 Feb;10(2):185-91. doi: 10.4161/rna.23341. Epub 2013 Jan 16.
Nowadays, the identification of small non-coding RNAs takes a prominent role in deciphering complex bacterial phenotypes. Evidences are given that the post-transcriptional layer of regulation mediated by sRNAs plays an important role in the formation of bacterial biofilms. These sRNAs exert their activity on various targets, be it directly or indirectly linked to biofilm formation. First, and best described, are the sRNAs that act in core regulatory pathways of biofilm formation, such as those regulating motility and matrix production. Second, overlaps between the regulation of biofilm formation and the outer membrane (OM) are becoming obvious. Additionally, different studies indicate that defects in the OM itself affect biofilm formation through this shared cascade, thereby forming a feedback mechanism. Interestingly, it is known that the OM itself is extensively regulated by different sRNAs. Third, biofilms are also linked to global metabolic changes. There is also evidence that metabolic pathways and the process of biofilm formation share sRNAs.
如今，小非编码 RNA 的鉴定在破译复杂的细菌表型方面发挥着突出的作用。有证据表明，sRNA 介导的转录后调控层在细菌生物膜的形成中起着重要作用。这些 sRNA 对各种靶标发挥作用，无论是直接还是间接与生物膜形成相关。首先，也是描述得最好的，是那些作用于生物膜形成核心调控途径的 sRNA，例如那些调节运动性和基质产生的 sRNA。其次，生物膜形成和外膜（OM）之间的调控重叠变得明显。此外，不同的研究表明，OM 本身的缺陷通过这个共享级联反应影响生物膜的形成，从而形成一个反馈机制。有趣的是，已知 OM 本身也受到不同 sRNA 的广泛调控。第三，生物膜也与全局代谢变化有关。也有证据表明，代谢途径和生物膜形成过程共享 sRNA。
