DsrA RNA is a
non-coding RNA
A non-coding RNA (ncRNA) is a functional RNA molecule that is not Translation (genetics), translated into a protein. The DNA sequence from which a functional non-coding RNA is transcribed is often called an RNA gene. Abundant and functionally im ...
that regulates both
transcription
Transcription refers to the process of converting sounds (voice, music etc.) into letters or musical notes, or producing a copy of something in another medium, including:
Genetics
* Transcription (biology), the copying of DNA into RNA, the fir ...
, by overcoming transcriptional silencing by the nucleoid-associated
H-NS protein, and
translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...
, by promoting efficient translation of the stress sigma factor,
RpoS
The gene ''rpoS'' (RNA polymerase, sigma S, also called katF) encodes the sigma factor ''sigma-38'' (σ38, or RpoS), a 37.8 kD protein in ''Escherichia coli''. Sigma factors are proteins that regulate transcription in bacteria. Sigma factors ca ...
.
These two activities of DsrA can be separated by mutation: the first of three
stem-loops of the 85
nucleotide
Nucleotides are organic molecules consisting of a nucleoside and a phosphate. They serve as monomeric units of the nucleic acid polymers – deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), both of which are essential biomolecule ...
RNA is necessary for RpoS translation but not for anti-H-NS action, while the second stem-loop is essential for antisilencing and less critical for RpoS translation. The third stem-loop, which behaves as a transcription terminator, can be substituted by the
trp transcription terminator without loss of either DsrA function. The sequence of the first stem-loop of DsrA is complementary with the upstream leader portion of RpoS messenger RNA, suggesting that pairing of DsrA with the RpoS message might be important for translational regulation. The structures of DsrA and DsrA/rpoS complex were studied by
NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a physical phenomenon in which nuclei in a strong constant magnetic field are perturbed by a weak oscillating magnetic field (in the near field) and respond by producing an electromagnetic signal with ...
. The study concluded that the sRNA contains a dynamic conformational equilibrium for its second stem–loop which might be an important mechanism for DsrA to regulate the translations of its multiple target mRNAs.
There is evidence that DsrA RNA can self-assemble into nanostructures through antisense interactions of three self-complementary regions.
Targets of DsrA
There is experimental evidence to suggest that DsrA interacts with the protein-coding genes hns,
rbsD,
,
ilvI
and rpoS
via an
anti-sense mechanism.
DsrA folds into a structure with three
hairpins. The second of these (
nucleotides
Nucleotides are organic molecules consisting of a nucleoside and a phosphate. They serve as monomeric units of the nucleic acid polymers – deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), both of which are essential biomolecules with ...
23–60) binds to
Hfq.
References
Further reading
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External links
* {{Rfam, id=RF00014, name=DsrA RNA
sRNATarBase page for DsrA interactions with hnssRNATarBase page for DsrA interactions with rbsDsRNATarBase page for DsrA interactions with argRsRNATarBase page for DsrA interactions with ilvIsRNATarBase page for DsrA interactions with rpoS
Non-coding RNA