SiRNA-AGO2 complex inhibits bacterial gene translation: A promising therapeutic strategy for superbug infection.

ABSTRACT: Silencing resistance genes of pathogenic bacteria by RNA interference (RNAi) is a potential strategy to fight antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. Currently, RNAi cannot be achieved in bacteria due to the lack of RNA-induced silencing complex machinery and the difficulty of small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery. Here, we show that exosomal siRNAs can be efficiently delivered into bacterial cells and can silence target genes primarily through translational repression without mRNA degradation. The exosomal Argonaute 2 (AGO2) protein forms a complex with siRNAs, which is essential for bacterial gene silencing. Both in vitro and in vivo-generated exosome-packaged siRNAs resensitize methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to methicillin treatment by silencing the mecA gene, wh

SUBMITTER: Wang C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11970400 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature