RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Bacterial chaperone protein Hfq facilitates the annealing of sponge RNAs to small regulatory RNAs
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2021.04.25.441314
DO 10.1101/2021.04.25.441314
A1 Ewelina M. Małecka
A1 Daria Sobańska
A1 Mikołaj Olejniczak
YR 2021
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/04/26/2021.04.25.441314.abstract
AB Bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs) in association with the chaperone protein Hfq regulate the expression of many target mRNAs. Since sRNAs’ action is crucial to engender a response to changing environmental conditions, their activity needs to be regulated. One such mechanism occurs at posttranscriptional level and involves sponge RNAs (or anti-sRNAs) which sequester sRNAs affecting their regulatory output. Both types of RNAs were identified on Hfq, but it is not known how Hfq interacts with RNA sponges and stimulates their base-pairing with sRNAs. Here, we used biochemical methods to demonstrate that anti-sRNAs resemble sRNAs by their structure and their modes of Hfq binding. Hfq facilitates sponge RNA annealing to sRNA, and each surface of the protein plays a particular role in the process. Moreover, we found that the efficiency of sponge RNA interactions with sRNAs can be improved, therefore, we propose that natural RNA sponges might not sequester sRNAs optimally.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.