RNA chaperone proteins and small noncoding RNA in bacteria
Small noncoding RNAs are involved in bacterial adaptation to changing environmental conditions, maintenance of cellular homeostasis and the control of bacterial virulence. Our research interests are focused on the molecular mechanisms used by small bacterial RNAs (sRNAs) in the regulation of the translation, and in particular on the role of chaperone or matchmaker proteins in these processes. sRNAs control translation by pairing with partly of fully complementary sequences in mRNA molecules. Efficient pairing of trans-encoded sRNAs often requires assistance of a homohexameric, ring-shaped matchmaker protein Hfq. Recent studies showed that proteins from the ProQ/FinO-domain family are also involved in the translation regulation by cis-encoded and trans-encoded sRNAs.
Our recent studies helped to better explain how the matchmaker protein Hfq recognizes small RNAs and their target mRNAs, and how it contributes to their pairing with the coding sequence of regulated mRNA molecules [1-3].
- Olejniczak M. "Despite similar binding to the Hfq protein regulatory RNAs widely differ in their competition performance." Biochemistry 50, 4427-4440 (2011)
- Małecka E.M., Stróżecka J., Sobańska D. and Olejniczak M. "Structure of bacterial regulatory RNAs determines their performance in competition for the chaperone protein Hfq." Biochemistry 54, 1157-70 (2015)
- Wróblewska Z, Olejniczak M. "Hfq assists small RNAs in binding to the coding sequence of ompD mRNA and in rearranging its structure", RNA (2016), 22(7):979-94