Environ Microbiol. 2014 Apr;16(4):1053-68. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.12272.
The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 has a remarkable capacity to adapt to various environments and to survive with limited nutrients. Here, we report the discovery and characterization of a novel small non-coding RNA: NrsZ (nitrogen-regulated sRNA). We show that under nitrogen limitation, NrsZ is induced by the NtrB/C two component system, an important regulator of nitrogen assimilation and P. aeruginosa's swarming motility, in concert with the alternative sigma factor RpoN. Furthermore, we demonstrate that NrsZ modulates P. aeruginosa motility by controlling the production of rhamnolipid surfactants, virulence factors notably needed for swarming motility. This regulation takes place through the post-transcriptional control of rhlA, a gene essential for rhamnolipids synthesis. Interestingly, we also observed that NrsZ is processed in three similar short modules, and that the first short module encompassing the first 60 nucleotides is sufficient for NrsZ regulatory functions.
机会性病原体铜绿假单胞菌 PAO1 具有出色的适应各种环境和在有限营养物质中生存的能力。在这里，我们报告了一种新型小非编码 RNA 的发现和特征：NrsZ（氮调节 sRNA）。我们表明，在氮限制下，NrsZ 由氮同化和铜绿假单胞菌群集运动的重要调节剂 NtrB/C 双组分系统与替代 sigma 因子 RpoN 共同诱导。此外，我们证明 NrsZ 通过控制鼠李糖脂表面活性剂的产生来调节铜绿假单胞菌的运动，而这些表面活性剂是群集运动所必需的毒力因子。这种调节是通过 rhlA 的转录后控制发生的，rhlA 是合成鼠李糖脂所必需的基因。有趣的是，我们还观察到 NrsZ 被加工成三个类似的短模块，并且包含前 60 个核苷酸的第一个短模块足以发挥 NrsZ 的调节功能。
