Biological insights from RIL-seq in bacteria

• Main Authors: Silverman, Aviezer, Melamed, Sahar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 24-11-2024
• Subjects: Quantitative Biology - Molecular Networks
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2309.11399

Methods Mol Biol 2866, 189-206 (2025) Bacteria reside in constantly changing environments and require rapid and
precise adjustments of gene expression to ensure survival. Small regulatory
RNAs (sRNAs) are a crucial element that bacteria utilize to achieve this. sRNAs
are short RNA molecules that modulate gene expression usually through
base-pairing interactions with target RNAs, primarily mRNAs. These interactions
can lead to either negative outcomes such as mRNA degradation or translational
repression or positive outcomes such as mRNA stabilization or translation
enhancement. In recent years, high-throughput approaches such as RIL-seq (RNA
interaction by ligation and sequencing) revolutionized the sRNA field by
enabling the identification of sRNA targets on a global scale, unveiling
intricate sRNA-RNA networks. In this review, we discuss the insights gained
from investigating sRNA-RNA networks in well-studied bacterial species as well
as in under-studied bacterial species. Having a complete understanding of
sRNA-mediated regulation is critical for the development of new strategies for
controlling bacterial growth and combating bacterial infections.