Banerjee Rajdeep
Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Noncoding RNA. 2025 May 5;11(3):36. doi: 10.3390/ncrna11030036.
Bacterial pathogens have evolved diverse strategies to infect hosts, evade immune responses, and establish successful infections. While the role of transcription factors in bacterial virulence is well documented, emerging evidence highlights the significant contribution of small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) in bacterial pathogenesis. These sRNAs function as posttranscriptional regulators that fine-tune gene expression, enabling bacteria to adapt rapidly to challenging environments. This review explores the multifaceted roles of bacterial sRNAs in host-pathogen interactions. Firstly, it examines how sRNAs regulate pathogenicity by modulating the expression of key virulence factors, including fimbriae, toxins, and secretion systems, followed by discussing the role of sRNAs in bacterial stress response mechanisms that counteract host immune defenses, such as oxidative and envelope stress. Additionally, this review investigates the involvement of sRNAs in antibiotic resistance by regulating efflux pumps, biofilm formation, and membrane modifications, which contribute to multi-drug resistance phenotypes. Lastly, this review highlights how sRNAs contribute to intra- and interspecies communication through quorum sensing, thereby coordinating bacterial behavior in response to environmental cues. Understanding these regulatory networks governed by sRNAs is essential for the development of innovative antimicrobial strategies. This review highlights the growing significance of sRNAs in bacterial pathogenicity and explores their potential as therapeutic targets for the treatment of bacterial infections.
细菌病原体已经进化出多种策略来感染宿主、逃避免疫反应并建立成功的感染。虽然转录因子在细菌毒力中的作用已有充分记载，但新出现的证据凸显了小调节RNA（sRNA）在细菌致病过程中的重要贡献。这些sRNA作为转录后调节因子，对基因表达进行微调，使细菌能够迅速适应具有挑战性的环境。本综述探讨了细菌sRNA在宿主-病原体相互作用中的多方面作用。首先，研究sRNA如何通过调节关键毒力因子（包括菌毛、毒素和分泌系统）的表达来调控致病性，接着讨论sRNA在对抗宿主免疫防御的细菌应激反应机制（如氧化应激和包膜应激）中的作用。此外，本综述还研究了sRNA通过调节外排泵、生物膜形成和膜修饰参与抗生素耐药性的情况，这些因素导致了多药耐药表型。最后，本综述强调了sRNA如何通过群体感应促进种内和种间通讯，从而根据环境线索协调细菌行为。了解这些由sRNA控制的调控网络对于开发创新的抗菌策略至关重要。本综述强调了sRNA在细菌致病性中日益重要的意义，并探讨了它们作为治疗细菌感染的治疗靶点的潜力。
