Small non-coding RNAs in the Antarctic bacterium Pseudomonas extremaustralis

What is it about?

RNA-mediated gene regulation enables a rapid and complementary response to transcriptional regulation. In this regard, bacterial small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) play a key role as genetic regulators, mediating adaptability to changing environmental conditions and responses to stress. In this work, we studied transcriptomic data to identify putative sRNAs in the extremophile bacterium Pseudomonas extremaustralis. This approach allowed us to identify and classify sRNAs that could have regulatory functions related to O2 availability and oxidative stress response. The identity, size, and expression profile of some of these sRNAs were verified experimentally. Additionally, we combined pulse expression of one novel sRNA, sRNA40, with transcriptome analysis to identify its mRNA targets.

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Our findings allowed us to identify several genes related to protein secretion systems as possible regulatory targets of sRNA40. Due to the ecological and biotechnological importance of bacteria not only in the environment but also in different human activities, understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms related to survival and adaptation in environments with fluctuating aeration conditions is crucial for basic and applied research.