Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden; Clinical Microbiology, BioClinicum, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden; Department of Microbiology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden; Clinical Microbiology, BioClinicum, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden.
Trends Microbiol. 2022 Oct;30(10):959-972. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2022.03.007. Epub 2022 Apr 1.
Pathogenic bacteria have evolved to sense their surrounding environments and regulate their gene expression to evade host immune defences and cause disease. RNA-mediated gene expression offers a fast and energy efficient alternative to conventional transcription factors. A myriad of regulatory RNAs have been identified, especially in pathogenic bacteria. However, whether these RNAs partake in disease remains largely unexplored. Here, we review current knowledge of regulatory RNAs in human-adapted upper respiratory tract pathogens. We propose that bacterial regulatory RNAs could play important roles in disease. Elucidating the function of regulatory RNAs and identifying polymorphisms among disease isolates would provide valuable insight into their pathogeneses. Finally, we discuss the outstanding issues of regulatory RNAs in research and their applications as drug targets, therapeutics, and in providing diagnostic information predictive of disease prognosis.
病原细菌已经进化到能够感知周围环境，并调节基因表达以逃避宿主免疫防御并引起疾病。RNA 介导的基因表达为传统转录因子提供了一种快速且节能的替代方法。已经鉴定出了大量的调节 RNA，尤其是在病原细菌中。然而，这些 RNA 是否参与疾病仍然在很大程度上尚未得到探索。在这里，我们综述了适应人类上呼吸道病原体的调节 RNA 的现有知识。我们提出，细菌调节 RNA 可能在疾病中发挥重要作用。阐明调节 RNA 的功能并鉴定疾病分离株中的多态性将为了解其发病机制提供有价值的信息。最后，我们讨论了调节 RNA 在研究中的突出问题及其作为药物靶点、治疗剂以及提供预测疾病预后的诊断信息的应用。
