Kinetic modeling reveals additional regulation at co-transcriptional level by post-transcriptional sRNA regulators.

ABSTRACT: Small RNAs (sRNAs) are important gene regulators in bacteria. Many sRNAs act post-transcriptionally by affecting translation and degradation of the target mRNAs upon base-pairing interactions. Here we present a general approach combining imaging and mathematical modeling to determine kinetic parameters at different levels of sRNA-mediated gene regulation that contribute to overall regulation efficacy. Our data reveal that certain sRNAs previously characterized as post-transcriptional regulators can regulate some targets co-transcriptionally, leading to a revised model that sRNA-mediated regulation can occur early in an mRNA's lifetime, as soon as the sRNA binding site is transcribed. This co-transcriptional regulation is likely mediated by Rho-dependent termination when transcription-coupl

SUBMITTER: Reyer MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8634553 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature