Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
RNA Biol. 2013 Apr;10(4):610-8. doi: 10.4161/rna.24201. Epub 2013 Mar 27.
Over the past years, small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) emerged as important modulators of gene expression in bacteria. Guided by partial sequence complementarity, these sRNAs interact with target mRNAs and eventually affect transcript stability and translation. The physiological function of sRNAs depends on the protein Hfq, which binds sRNAs in the cell and promotes the interaction with their mRNA targets. This important physiological function of Hfq as a central hub of sRNA-mediated regulation made it one of the most intensely studied proteins in bacteria. Recently, a new model for sRNA binding by Hfq has been proposed that involves the direct recognition of the sRNA 3' end and interactions of the sRNA body with the lateral RNA-binding surface of Hfq. This review summarizes the current understanding of the RNA binding properties of Hfq and its (s)RNA complexes. Moreover, the implications of the new binding model for sRNA-mediated regulation are discussed.
在过去的几年中，小非编码 RNA（sRNA）已成为细菌中基因表达的重要调控因子。这些 sRNA 可以通过部分序列互补与靶 mRNA 相互作用，最终影响转录本的稳定性和翻译。sRNA 的生理功能取决于蛋白 Hfq，它在细胞内结合 sRNA 并促进其与 mRNA 靶标的相互作用。Hfq 作为 sRNA 介导调控的中心枢纽，其重要的生理功能使其成为细菌中研究最深入的蛋白质之一。最近，提出了一种新的 Hfq 结合 sRNA 的模型，该模型涉及 sRNA 3'端的直接识别以及 sRNA 主体与 Hfq 侧向 RNA 结合表面的相互作用。本文综述了 Hfq 及其（s）RNA 复合物的 RNA 结合特性的最新认识，讨论了新的结合模型对 sRNA 介导调控的影响。
