A survey of sRNA families in α-proteobacteria

A double-negative feedback loop between NtrBC and a small RNA rewires nitrogen metabolism in legume symbionts

IMPORTANCE

Root nodule endosymbioses between diazotrophic rhizobia and legumes provide the largest input of combined N to the biosphere, thus representing an alternative to harmful chemical fertilizers for sustainable crop production. Rhizobia have evolved intricate strategies to coordinate N assimilation for their own benefit with N2 fixation to sustain plant growth. The rhizobial N status is transduced by the NtrBC two-component system, the seemingly ubiquitous form of N signal transduction in Proteobacteria. Here, we show that the regulatory sRNA NfeR1 (nodule formation efficiency RNA) of the alfalfa symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti is transcribed from a complex promoter repressed by NtrC in a N-dependent manner and feedback silences ntrBC by complementary base-pairing. These findings unveil a more prominent role of NtrC as a transcriptional repressor than hitherto anticipated and a novel RNA-based mechanism for NtrBC regulation. The NtrBC-NfeR1 double-negative feedback loop accurately rewires symbiotic S. meliloti N metabolism and is likely conserved in α-rhizobia.

Post-Transcriptional Control in the Regulation of Polyhydroxyalkanoates Synthesis

The large production of non-degradable petrol-based plastics has become a major global issue due to its environmental pollution. Biopolymers produced by microorganisms such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are gaining potential as a sustainable alternative, but the high cost associated with their industrial production has been a limiting factor. Post-transcriptional regulation is a key step to control gene expression in changing environments and has been reported to play a major role in numerous cellular processes. However, limited reports are available concerning the regulation of PHA accumulation in bacteria, and many essential regulatory factors still need to be identified. Here, we review studies where the synthesis of PHA has been reported to be regulated at the post-transcriptional level, and we analyze the RNA-mediated networks involved. Finally, we discuss the forthcoming research on riboregulation, synthetic, and metabolic engineering which could lead to improved strategies for PHAs synthesis in industrial production, thereby reducing the costs currently associated with this procedure.

Synthetase of the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine from nitrogen-fixing α-rhizobia can bind functionally diverse RNA species

Function of bacterial small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) and overall RNA metabolism is largely shaped by a vast diversity of RNA-protein interactions. However, in non-model bacteria with defined non-coding transcriptomes the sRNA interactome remains almost unexplored. We used affinity chromatography to capture proteins associated in vivo with MS2-tagged trans-sRNAs that regulate nutrient uptake (AbcR2 and NfeR1) and cell cycle (EcpR1) mRNAs by antisense-based translational inhibition in the nitrogen-fixing α-rhizobia Sinorhizobium meliloti. The three proteomes were rather distinct, with that of EcpR1 particularly enriched in cell cycle-related enzymes, whilst sharing several transcription/translation-related proteins recurrently identified associated with sRNAs. Strikingly, MetK, the synthetase of the major methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine, was reliably recovered as a binding partner of the three sRNAs, which reciprocally co-immunoprecipitated with a FLAG-tagged MetK variant. Induced (over)expression of the trans-sRNAs and MetK depletion did not influence canonical riboregulatory traits, `for example, protein titration or sRNA stability, respectively. An in vitro filter assay confirmed binding of AbcR2, NfeR1 and EcpR1 to MetK and further revealed interaction of the protein with other non-coding and coding transcripts but not with the 5S rRNA. These findings uncover a broad specificity for RNA binding as an unprecedented feature of this housekeeping prokaryotic enzyme.

Pervasive RNA Regulation of Metabolism Enhances the Root Colonization Ability of Nitrogen-Fixing Symbiotic α-Rhizobia

The rhizosphere and rhizoplane are nutrient-rich but selective environments for the root microbiome. Here, we deciphered a posttranscriptional network regulated by the homologous trans-small RNAs (sRNAs) AbcR1 and AbcR2, which rewire the metabolism of the nitrogen-fixing α-rhizobium Sinorhizobium meliloti during preinfection stages of symbiosis with its legume host alfalfa. The LysR-type regulator LsrB, which transduces the cell redox state, is indispensable for AbcR1 expression in actively dividing bacteria, whereas the stress-induced transcription of AbcR2 depends on the alternative σ factor RpoH1. MS2 affinity purification coupled with RNA sequencing unveiled exceptionally large and overlapping AbcR1/2 mRNA interactomes, jointly representing ⁓6% of the S. meliloti protein-coding genes. Most mRNAs encode transport/metabolic proteins whose translation is silenced by base pairing to two distinct anti-Shine Dalgarno motifs that function independently in both sRNAs. A metabolic model-aided analysis of the targetomes predicted changes in AbcR1/2 expression driven by shifts in carbon/nitrogen sources, which were confirmed experimentally. Low AbcR1/2 levels in some defined media anticipated overexpression growth phenotypes linked to the silencing of specific mRNAs. As a proof of principle, we confirmed AbcR1/2-mediated downregulation of the l-amino acid AapQ permease. AbcR1/2 interactomes are well represented in rhizosphere-related S. meliloti transcriptomic signatures. Remarkably, a lack of AbcR1 specifically compromised the ability of S. meliloti to colonize the root rhizoplane. The AbcR1 regulon likely ranks the utilization of available substrates to optimize metabolism, thus conferring on S. meliloti an advantage for efficient rhizosphere/rhizoplane colonization. AbcR1 regulation is predicted to be conserved in related α-rhizobia, which opens unprecedented possibilities for engineering highly competitive biofertilizers. IMPORTANCE Nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbioses between rhizobia and legume plants provide more than half of the combined nitrogen incorporated annually into terrestrial ecosystems, rendering plant growth independent of environmentally unfriendly chemical fertilizers. The success of symbiosis depends primarily on the capacity of rhizobia to establish competitive populations in soil and rhizosphere environments. Here, we provide insights into the regulation and architecture of an extensive RNA posttranscriptional network that fine-tunes the metabolism of the alfalfa symbiont S. meliloti, thereby enhancing the ability of this beneficial bacterium to colonize nutrient-rich but extremely selective niches, such as the rhizosphere of its host plant. This pervasive RNA regulation of metabolism is a major adaptive mechanism, predicted to operate in diverse rhizobial species. Because RNA regulation relies on modifiable base-pairing interactions, our findings open unexplored avenues for engineering the legumes rhizobiome within sustainable agricultural practices.

Novel small RNAs expressed by Bartonella bacilliformis under multiple conditions reveal potential mechanisms for persistence in the sand fly vector and human host

Bartonella bacilliformis, the etiological agent of Carrión’s disease, is a Gram-negative, facultative intracellular alphaproteobacterium. Carrión’s disease is an emerging but neglected tropical illness endemic to Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador. B. bacilliformis is spread between humans through the bite of female phlebotomine sand flies. As a result, the pathogen encounters significant and repeated environmental shifts during its life cycle, including changes in pH and temperature. In most bacteria, small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) serve as effectors that may post-transcriptionally regulate the stress response to such changes. However, sRNAs have not been characterized in B. bacilliformis, to date. We therefore performed total RNA-sequencing analyses on B. bacilliformis grown in vitro then shifted to one of ten distinct conditions that simulate various environments encountered by the pathogen during its life cycle. From this, we identified 160 sRNAs significantly expressed under at least one of the conditions tested. sRNAs included the highly-conserved tmRNA, 6S RNA, RNase P RNA component, SRP RNA component, ffH leader RNA, and the alphaproteobacterial sRNAs αr45 and speF leader RNA. In addition, 153 other potential sRNAs of unknown function were discovered. Northern blot analysis was used to confirm the expression of eight novel sRNAs. We also characterized a Bartonellabacilliformisgroup I intron (BbgpI) that disrupts an un-annotated tRNA_CCU^Arg gene and determined that the intron splices in vivo and self-splices in vitro. Furthermore, we demonstrated the molecular targeting of Bartonellabacilliformissmall RNA 9 (BbsR9) to transcripts of the ftsH, nuoF, and gcvT genes, in vitro.

B. bacilliformis is a bacterial pathogen that is transmitted between humans by phlebotomine sand flies. Bacteria often express sRNAs to fine-tune the production of proteins involved in a wide array of biological processes. We cultured B. bacilliformis in vitro under standard conditions then shifted the pathogen for a period of time to ten distinct environments, including multiple temperatures, pH levels, and infections of human blood and human vascular endothelial cells. After RNA-sequencing, a manual transcriptome search identified 160 putative sRNAs, including seven highly-conserved sRNAs and 153 novel potential sRNAs. We then characterized two of the novel sRNAs, BbgpI and BbsR9. BbgpI is a group I intron (ribozyme) that self-splices and disrupts an unannotated gene coding for a transfer RNA (tRNA_CCU^Arg). BbsR9 is an intergenic sRNA expressed under conditions that simulate the sand fly. We found that BbsR9 targets transcripts of the ftsH, nuoF, and gcvT genes. Furthermore, we determined the specific sRNA-mRNA interactions responsible for BbsR9 binding to its target mRNAs through in vitro mutagenesis and binding assays.

Arginine-Rich Small Proteins with a Domain of Unknown Function, DUF1127, Play a Role in Phosphate and Carbon Metabolism of Agrobacterium tumefaciens

In any given organism, approximately one-third of all proteins have a yet-unknown function. A widely distributed domain of unknown function is DUF1127. Approximately 17,000 proteins with such an arginine-rich domain are found in 4,000 bacteria. Most of them are single-domain proteins, and a large fraction qualifies as small proteins with fewer than 50 amino acids. We systematically identified and characterized the seven DUF1127 members of the plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens They all give rise to authentic proteins and are differentially expressed as shown at the RNA and protein levels. The seven proteins fall into two subclasses on the basis of their length, sequence, and reciprocal regulation by the LysR-type transcription factor LsrB. The absence of all three short DUF1127 proteins caused a striking phenotype in later growth phases and increased cell aggregation and biofilm formation. Protein profiling and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of the wild type and triple mutant revealed a large number of differentially regulated genes in late exponential and stationary growth. The most affected genes are involved in phosphate uptake, glycine/serine homeostasis, and nitrate respiration. The results suggest a redundant function of the small DUF1127 paralogs in nutrient acquisition and central carbon metabolism of A. tumefaciens They may be required for diauxic switching between carbon sources when sugar from the medium is depleted. We end by discussing how DUF1127 might confer such a global impact on cell physiology and gene expression.IMPORTANCE Despite being prevalent in numerous ecologically and clinically relevant bacterial species, the biological role of proteins with a domain of unknown function, DUF1127, is unclear. Experimental models are needed to approach their elusive function. We used the phytopathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens, a natural genetic engineer that causes crown gall disease, and focused on its three small DUF1127 proteins. They have redundant and pervasive roles in nutrient acquisition, cellular metabolism, and biofilm formation. The study shows that small proteins have important previously missed biological functions. How small basic proteins can have such a broad impact is a fascinating prospect of future research.

Riboregulation in Nitrogen-Fixing Endosymbiotic Bacteria

Small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) are ubiquitous components of bacterial adaptive regulatory networks underlying stress responses and chronic intracellular infection of eukaryotic hosts. Thus, sRNA-mediated regulation of gene expression is expected to play a major role in the establishment of mutualistic root nodule endosymbiosis between nitrogen-fixing rhizobia and legume plants. However, knowledge about this level of genetic regulation in this group of plant-interacting bacteria is still rather scarce. Here, we review insights into the rhizobial non-coding transcriptome and sRNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation of symbiotic relevant traits such as nutrient uptake, cell cycle, quorum sensing, or nodule development. We provide details about the transcriptional control and protein-assisted activity mechanisms of the functionally characterized sRNAs involved in these processes. Finally, we discuss the forthcoming research on riboregulation in legume symbionts.

Primary Characterization of Small RNAs in Symbiotic Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria

High-throughput transcriptome profiling (RNAseq) has uncovered large and heterogeneous populations of small noncoding RNA species (sRNAs) with potential regulatory roles in bacteria. A large fraction of sRNAs are differentially regulated and rely on protein-assisted antisense interactions to trans-encoded target mRNAs to fine-tune posttranscriptional reprogramming of gene expression in response to external cues. However, annotation and function of sRNAs are still largely overlooked in nonmodel bacteria with complex lifestyles. Here, we describe experimental protocols successfully applied for the accurate annotation, expression profiling and target mRNA identification of trans-acting sRNAs in the nitrogen-fixing α-rhizobium Sinorhizobium meliloti. The protocols presented here can be similarly applied for the characterization of trans-sRNAs in genetically tractable α-proteobacteria of agronomical or clinical relevance interacting with eukaryotic hosts.

Use of RNA Immunoprecipitation Method for Determining Sinorhizobium meliloti RNA-Hfq Protein Associations In Vivo

Background

Soil bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti (S. meliloti) forms an endosymbiotic partnership with Medicago truncatula (M. truncatula) roots which results in root nodules. The bacteria live within root nodules where they function to fix atmospheric N₂ and supply the host plant with reduced nitrogen. The bacterial RNA-binding protein Hfq (Hfq) is an important regulator for the effectiveness of the nitrogen fixation. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) method is a powerful method for detecting the association of Hfq protein with specific RNA in cultured bacteria, yet a RIP method for bacteria living in root nodules remains to be described.

Results

A modified S. meliloti gene encoding a His-tagged Hfq protein (Hfq^His) was placed under the regulation of the native Hfq gene promoter (P_hfqsm). The trans produced Hfq^His protein was accumulated at its nature levels during all stages of the symbiosis, allowing RNAs that associated with the given protein to be immunoprecipitated with the anti-His antibody against the protein from root nodule lysates. RNAs that associated with the protein were selectively enriched in the immunoprecipitated sample. The RNAs were recovered by a simple method using heat and subsequently analyzed by RT-PCR. The nature of PCR products was determined by DNA sequencing. Hfq association with specific RNAs can be analyzed at different conditions (e. g. young or older root nodules) and/or in wild-type versus mutant strains.

Conclusions

This article describes the RIP method for determining Sinorhizobium meliloti RNA-Hfq associations in vivo. It is also applicable to other rhizobia living in planta, although some tissue-specific modification related to sample disruption and homogenization may be needed.

An account of evolutionary specialization: the AbcR small RNAs in the Rhizobiales

The AbcR small RNAs (sRNAs) are a fascinating example of two highly conserved sRNAs that differ tremendously at the functional level among organisms. From their transcriptional activation to their regulatory capabilities, the AbcR sRNAs exhibit varying characteristics in three well-studied bacteria belonging to the Rhizobiales order: the plant symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti, the plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens, and the animal pathogen Brucella abortus. This review outlines the similarities and differences of the AbcR sRNAs between each of these organisms, and discusses reasons as to why this group of sRNAs has diverged in their genetic organization and regulatory functions across species. In the end, this review will shed light on how regulatory systems, although seemingly conserved among bacteria, can vary based on the environmental niche and lifestyle of an organism.

A Genome-Wide Prediction and Identification of Intergenic Small RNAs by Comparative Analysis in Mesorhizobium huakuii 7653R

In bacteria, small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) are critical regulators of cellular adaptation to changes in metabolism, physiology, or the external environment. In the last decade, more than 2000 of sRNA families have been reported in the Rfam database and have been shown to exert various regulatory functions in bacterial transcription and translation. However, little is known about sRNAs and their functions in Mesorhizobium. Here, we predicted putative sRNAs in the intergenic regions (IGRs) of M. huakuii 7653R by genome-wide comparisons with four related Mesorhizobial strains. The expression and transcribed regions of candidate sRNAs were analyzed using a set of high-throughput RNA deep sequencing data. In all, 39 candidate sRNAs were found, with 5 located in the symbiotic megaplasmids and 34 in the chromosome of M. huakuii 7653R. Of these, 24 were annotated as functional sRNAs in the Rfam database and 15 were recognized as putative novel sRNAs. The expression of nine selected sRNAs was confirmed by Northern blotting, and most of the nine selected sRNAs were highly expressed in 28 dpi nodules and under symbiosis-mimicking conditions. For those putative novel sRNAs, functional categorizations of their target genes were performed by analyzing the enriched GO terms. In addition, MH_s15 was shown to be an abundant and conserved sRNA.

Brucella central carbon metabolism: an update

The brucellae are facultative intracellular pathogens causing brucellosis, an important zoonosis. Here, we review the nutritional, genetic, proteomic and transcriptomic studies on Brucella carbon uptake and central metabolism, information that is needed for a better understanding of Brucella virulence. There is no uniform picture across species but the studies suggest primary and/or secondary transporters for unknown carbohydrates, lactate, glycerol phosphate, erythritol, xylose, ribose, glucose and glucose/galactose, and routes for their incorporation to central metabolism, including an erythritol pathway feeding the pentose phosphate cycle. Significantly, all brucellae lack phosphoenolpyruvate synthase and phosphofructokinase genes, which confirms previous evidence on glycolysis absence, but carry all Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway and Krebs cycle (and glyoxylate pathway) genes. However, glucose catabolism proceeds through the pentose phosphate cycle in the classical species, and the ED pathway operates in some rodent-associated brucellae, suggesting an ancestral character for this pathway in this group. Gluconeogenesis is functional but does not rely exclusively on classical fructose bisphosphatases. Evidence obtained using infection models is fragmentary but suggests the combined or sequential use of hexoses/pentoses, amino acids and gluconeogenic substrates. We also discuss the role of the phosphotransferase system, stringent reponse, quorum sensing, BvrR/S and sRNAs in metabolism control, an essential aspect of the life style of facultative intracellular parasites.

A conserved α-proteobacterial small RNA contributes to osmoadaptation and symbiotic efficiency of rhizobia on legume roots

Small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) are expected to have pivotal roles in the adaptive responses underlying symbiosis of nitrogen-fixing rhizobia with legumes. Here, we provide primary insights into the function and activity mechanism of the Sinorhizobium meliloti trans-sRNA NfeR1 (Nodule Formation Efficiency RNA). Northern blot probing and transcription tracking with fluorescent promoter-reporter fusions unveiled high nfeR1 expression in response to salt stress and throughout the symbiotic interaction. The strength and differential regulation of nfeR1 transcription are conferred by a motif, which is conserved in nfeR1 promoter regions in α-proteobacteria. NfeR1 loss-of-function compromised osmoadaptation of free-living bacteria, whilst causing misregulation of salt-responsive genes related to stress adaptation, osmolytes catabolism and membrane trafficking. Nodulation tests revealed that lack of NfeR1 affected competitiveness, infectivity, nodule development and symbiotic efficiency of S. meliloti on alfalfa roots. Comparative computer predictions and a genetic reporter assay evidenced a redundant role of three identical NfeR1 unpaired anti Shine-Dalgarno motifs for targeting and downregulation of translation of multiple mRNAs from transporter genes. Our data provide genetic evidence of the hyperosmotic conditions of the endosymbiotic compartments. NfeR1-mediated gene regulation in response to this cue could contribute to coordinate nutrient uptake with the metabolic reprogramming concomitant to symbiotic transitions.

A statistical test for conserved RNA structure shows lack of evidence for structure in lncRNAs

Many functional RNAs have an evolutionarily conserved secondary structure. Conservation of RNA base pairing induces pairwise covariations in sequence alignments. We developed a computational method, R-scape (RNA Structural Covariation Above Phylogenetic Expectation), that quantitatively tests whether covariation analysis supports the presence of a conserved RNA secondary structure. R-scape analysis finds no statistically significant support for proposed secondary structures of the long noncoding RNAs HOTAIR, SRA, and Xist.

Thermodynamic matchers for the construction of the cuckoo RNA family

RNA family models describe classes of functionally related, non-coding RNAs based on sequence and structure conservation. The most important method for modeling RNA families is the use of covariance models, which are stochastic models that serve in the discovery of yet unknown, homologous RNAs. However, the performance of covariance models in finding remote homologs is poor for RNA families with high sequence conservation, while for families with high structure but low sequence conservation, these models are difficult to built in the first place. A complementary approach to RNA family modeling involves the use of thermodynamic matchers. Thermodynamic matchers are RNA folding programs, based on the established thermodynamic model, but tailored to a specific structural motif. As thermodynamic matchers focus on structure and folding energy, they unfold their potential in discovering homologs, when high structure conservation is paired with low sequence conservation. In contrast to covariance models, construction of thermodynamic matchers does not require an input alignment, but requires human design decisions and experimentation, and hence, model construction is more laborious. Here we report a case study on an RNA family that was constructed by means of thermodynamic matchers. It starts from a set of known but structurally different members of the same RNA family. The consensus secondary structure of this family consists of 2 to 4 adjacent hairpins. Each hairpin loop carries the same motif, CCUCCUCCC, while the stems show high variability in their nucleotide content. The present study describes (1) a novel approach for the integration of the structurally varying family into a single RNA family model by means of the thermodynamic matcher methodology, and (2) provides the results of homology searches that were conducted with this model in a wide spectrum of bacterial species.

Riboregulation in plant-associated α-proteobacteria

The symbiotic α-rhizobia Sinorhizobium meliloti, Bradyrhizobium japonicum, Rhizobium etli and the related plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens are important model organisms for studying plant-microbe interactions. These metabolically versatile soil bacteria are characterized by complex lifestyles and large genomes. Here we summarize the recent knowledge on their small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) including conservation, function, and interaction of the sRNAs with the RNA chaperone Hfq. In each of these organisms, an inventory of hundreds of cis- and trans-encoded sRNAs with regulatory potential was uncovered by high-throughput approaches and used for the construction of 39 sRNA family models. Genome-wide analyses of hfq mutants and co-immunoprecipitation with tagged Hfq revealed a major impact of the RNA chaperone on the physiology of plant-associated α-proteobacteria including symbiosis and virulence. Highly conserved members of the SmelC411 family are the AbcR sRNAs, which predominantly regulate ABC transport systems. AbcR1 of A. tumefaciens controls the uptake of the plant-generated signaling molecule GABA and is a central regulator of nutrient uptake systems. It has similar functions in S. meliloti and the human pathogen Brucella abortus. As RNA degradation is an important process in RNA-based gene regulation, a short overview on ribonucleases in plant-associated α-proteobacteria concludes this review.

Bioinformatics of prokaryotic RNAs

The genome of most prokaryotes gives rise to surprisingly complex transcriptomes, comprising not only protein-coding mRNAs, often organized as operons, but also harbors dozens or even hundreds of highly structured small regulatory RNAs and unexpectedly large levels of anti-sense transcripts. Comprehensive surveys of prokaryotic transcriptomes and the need to characterize also their non-coding components is heavily dependent on computational methods and workflows, many of which have been developed or at least adapted specifically for the use with bacterial and archaeal data. This review provides an overview on the state-of-the-art of RNA bioinformatics focusing on applications to prokaryotes.

Small non-coding RNAs in plant-pathogenic Xanthomonas spp

The genus Xanthomonas comprises a large group of plant-pathogenic bacteria. The infection and bacterial multiplication in the plant tissue depends on the type III secretion system and other virulence determinants. Recent studies revealed that bacterial virulence is also controlled at the post-transcriptional level by small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs). In this review, we highlight our current knowledge about sRNAs and RNA-binding proteins in Xanthomonas species.

Genome-wide profiling of Hfq-binding RNAs uncovers extensive post-transcriptional rewiring of major stress response and symbiotic regulons in Sinorhizobium meliloti

The RNA chaperone Hfq is a global post-transcriptional regulator in bacteria. Here, we used RNAseq to analyze RNA populations from the legume symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti that were co-immunoprecipitated (CoIP-RNA) with a FLAG-tagged Hfq in five growth/stress conditions. Hfq-bound transcripts (1315) were largely identified in stressed bacteria and derived from small RNAs (sRNAs), both trans-encoded (6.4%) and antisense (asRNAs; 6.3%), and mRNAs (86%). Pull-down with Hfq recovered a small proportion of annotated S. meliloti sRNAs (14% of trans-sRNAs and 2% of asRNAs) suggesting a discrete impact of this protein in sRNA pathways. Nonetheless, Hfq selectively stabilized CoIP-enriched sRNAs, anticipating that these interactions are functionally significant. Transcription of 26 Hfq-bound sRNAs was predicted to occur from promoters recognized by the major stress σ factors σ(E2) or σ(H1/2). Recovery rates of sRNAs in each of the CoIP-RNA libraries suggest a large impact of Hfq-assisted riboregulation in S. meliloti osmoadaptation. Hfq directly targeted 18% of the predicted S. meliloti mRNAs, which encode functionally diverse proteins involved in transport and metabolism, σ(E2)-dependent stress responses, quorum sensing, flagella biosynthesis, ribosome, and membrane assembly or symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Canonical targeting of the 5' regions of two of the ABC transporter mRNAs by the homologous Hfq-binding AbcR1 and AbcR2 sRNAs leading to inhibition of protein synthesis was confirmed in vivo. We therefore provide a comprehensive resource for the systems-level deciphering of hitherto unexplored S. meliloti stress and symbiotic post-transcriptional regulons and the identification of Hfq-dependent sRNA-mRNA regulatory pairs.

Small RNA sX13: a multifaceted regulator of virulence in the plant pathogen Xanthomonas

Small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) are ubiquitous posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression. Using the model plant-pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria (Xcv), we investigated the highly expressed and conserved sRNA sX13 in detail. Deletion of sX13 impinged on Xcv virulence and the expression of genes encoding components and substrates of the Hrp type III secretion (T3S) system. qRT-PCR analyses revealed that sX13 promotes mRNA accumulation of HrpX, a key regulator of the T3S system, whereas the mRNA level of the master regulator HrpG was unaffected. Complementation studies suggest that sX13 acts upstream of HrpG. Microarray analyses identified 63 sX13-regulated genes, which are involved in signal transduction, motility, transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation and virulence. Structure analyses of in vitro transcribed sX13 revealed a structure with three stable stems and three apical C-rich loops. A computational search for putative regulatory motifs revealed that sX13-repressed mRNAs predominantly harbor G-rich motifs in proximity of translation start sites. Mutation of sX13 loops differentially affected Xcv virulence and the mRNA abundance of putative targets. Using a GFP-based reporter system, we demonstrated that sX13-mediated repression of protein synthesis requires both the C-rich motifs in sX13 and G-rich motifs in potential target mRNAs. Although the RNA-binding protein Hfq was dispensable for sX13 activity, the hfq mRNA and Hfq::GFP abundance were negatively regulated by sX13. In addition, we found that G-rich motifs in sX13-repressed mRNAs can serve as translational enhancers and are located at the ribosome-binding site in 5% of all protein-coding Xcv genes. Our study revealed that sX13 represents a novel class of virulence regulators and provides insights into sRNA-mediated modulation of adaptive processes in the plant pathogen Xanthomonas.

Since the discovery of the first regulatory RNA in 1981, hundreds of small RNAs (sRNAs) have been identified in bacteria. Although sRNA-mediated control of virulence was demonstrated for numerous animal- and human-pathogenic bacteria, sRNAs and their functions in plant-pathogenic bacteria have been enigmatic. We discovered that the sRNA sX13 is a novel virulence regulator of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria (Xcv), which causes bacterial spot disease on pepper and tomato. sX13 contributes to the Xcv-plant interaction by promoting the synthesis of an essential pathogenicity factor of Xcv, i. e., the type III secretion system. Thus, in addition to transcriptional regulation, sRNA-mediated posttranscriptional regulation contributes to virulence of plant-pathogenic xanthomonads. To repress target mRNAs carrying G-rich motifs, sX13 employs C-rich loops. Hence, sX13 exhibits striking structural similarity to sRNAs in distantly related human pathogens, e. g., Staphylococcus aureus and Helicobacter pylori, suggesting that structure-driven target regulation via C-rich motifs represents a conserved feature of sRNA-mediated posttranscriptional regulation. Furthermore, sX13 is the first sRNA shown to control the mRNA level of hfq, which encodes a conserved RNA-binding protein required for sRNA activity and virulence in many enteric bacteria.

Independent activity of the homologous small regulatory RNAs AbcR1 and AbcR2 in the legume symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti

The legume symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti expresses a plethora of small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) whose function is mostly unknown. Here, we have functionally characterized two tandemly encoded S. meliloti Rm1021 sRNAs that are similar in sequence and structure. Homologous sRNAs (designated AbcR1 and AbcR2) have been shown to regulate several ABC transporters in the related α-proteobacteria Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Brucella abortus. In Rm1021, AbcR1 and AbcR2 exhibit divergent unlinked regulation and are stabilized by the RNA chaperone Hfq. AbcR1 is transcribed in actively dividing bacteria, either in culture, rhizosphere or within the invasion zone of mature alfalfa nodules. Conversely, AbcR2 expression is induced upon entry into stationary phase and under abiotic stress. Only deletion of AbcR1 resulted into a discrete growth delay in rich medium, but both are dispensable for symbiosis. Periplasmic proteome profiling revealed down-regulation of the branched-chain amino acid binding protein LivK by AbcR1, but not by AbcR2. A double-plasmid reporter assay confirmed the predicted specific targeting of the 5′-untranslated region of the livK mRNA by AbcR1 in vivo. Our findings provide evidences of independent regulatory functions of these sRNAs, probably to fine-tune nutrient uptake in free-living and undifferentiated symbiotic rhizobia.

The four ingredients of single-sequence RNA secondary structure prediction. A unifying perspective

Any method for RNA secondary structure prediction is determined by four ingredients. The architecture is the choice of features implemented by the model (such as stacked basepairs, loop length distributions, etc.). The architecture determines the number of parameters in the model. The scoring scheme is the nature of those parameters (whether thermodynamic, probabilistic, or weights). The parameterization stands for the specific values assigned to the parameters. These three ingredients are referred to as "the model." The fourth ingredient is the folding algorithms used to predict plausible secondary structures given the model and the sequence of a structural RNA. Here, I make several unifying observations drawn from looking at more than 40 years of methods for RNA secondary structure prediction in the light of this classification. As a final observation, there seems to be a performance ceiling that affects all methods with complex architectures, a ceiling that impacts all scoring schemes with remarkable similarity. This suggests that modeling RNA secondary structure by using intrinsic sequence-based plausible "foldability" will require the incorporation of other forms of information in order to constrain the folding space and to improve prediction accuracy. This could give an advantage to probabilistic scoring systems since a probabilistic framework is a natural platform to incorporate different sources of information into one single inference problem.

Insights into the noncoding RNome of nitrogen-fixing endosymbiotic α-proteobacteria

Symbiotic chronic infection of legumes by rhizobia involves transition of invading bacteria from a free-living environment in soil to an intracellular state as differentiated nitrogen-fixing bacteroids within the nodules elicited in the host plant. The adaptive flexibility demanded by this complex lifestyle is likely facilitated by the large set of regulatory proteins encoded by rhizobial genomes. However, proteins are not the only relevant players in the regulation of gene expression in bacteria. Large-scale high-throughput analysis of prokaryotic genomes is evidencing the expression of an unexpected plethora of small untranslated transcripts (sRNAs) with housekeeping or regulatory roles. sRNAs mostly act in response to environmental cues as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression through protein-assisted base-pairing interactions with target mRNAs. Riboregulation contributes to fine-tune a wide range of bacterial processes which, in intracellular animal pathogens, largely compromise virulence traits. Here, we summarize the incipient knowledge about the noncoding RNome structure of nitrogen-fixing endosymbiotic bacteria as inferred from genome-wide searches for sRNA genes in the alfalfa partner Sinorhizobium meliloti and further comparative genomics analysis. The biology of relevant S. meliloti RNA chaperones (e.g., Hfq) is also reviewed as a first global indicator of the impact of riboregulation in the establishment of the symbiotic interaction.

Quantitative proteomic analysis of the Hfq-regulon in Sinorhizobium meliloti 2011

Riboregulation stands for RNA-based control of gene expression. In bacteria, small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) are a major class of riboregulatory elements, most of which act at the post-transcriptional level by base-pairing target mRNA genes. The RNA chaperone Hfq facilitates antisense interactions between target mRNAs and regulatory sRNAs, thus influencing mRNA stability and/or translation rate. In the α-proteobacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti strain 2011, the identification and detection of multiple sRNAs genes and the broadly pleitropic phenotype associated to the absence of a functional Hfq protein both support the existence of riboregulatory circuits controlling gene expression to ensure the fitness of this bacterium in both free living and symbiotic conditions. In order to identify target mRNAs subject to Hfq-dependent riboregulation, we have compared the proteome of an hfq mutant and the wild type S. meliloti by quantitative proteomics following protein labelling with ¹⁵N. Among 2139 univocally identified proteins, a total of 195 proteins showed a differential abundance between the Hfq mutant and the wild type strain; 65 proteins accumulated ≥2-fold whereas 130 were downregulated (≤0.5-fold) in the absence of Hfq. This profound proteomic impact implies a major role for Hfq on regulation of diverse physiological processes in S. meliloti, from transport of small molecules to homeostasis of iron and nitrogen. Changes in the cellular levels of proteins involved in transport of nucleotides, peptides and amino acids, and in iron homeostasis, were confirmed with phenotypic assays. These results represent the first quantitative proteomic analysis in S. meliloti. The comparative analysis of the hfq mutant proteome allowed identification of novel strongly Hfq-regulated genes in S. meliloti.

Identification of two small regulatory RNAs linked to virulence in Brucella abortus 2308

Hfq is an RNA-binding protein that functions in post-transcriptional gene regulation by mediating interactions between mRNAs and small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs). Two proteins encoded by BAB1_1794 and BAB2_0612 are highly over-produced in a Brucella abortus hfq mutant compared with the parental strain, and recently, expression of orthologues of these proteins in Agrobacterium tumefaciens was shown to be regulated by two sRNAs, called AbcR1 and AbcR2. Orthologous sRNAs (likewise designated AbcR1 and AbcR2) have been identified in B. abortus 2308. In Brucella, abcR1 and abcR2 single mutants are not defective in their ability to survive in cultured murine macrophages, but an abcR1 abcR2 double mutant exhibits significant attenuation in macrophages. Additionally, the abcR1 abcR2 double mutant displays significant attenuation in a mouse model of chronic Brucella infection. Quantitative proteomics and microarray analyses revealed that the AbcR sRNAs predominantly regulate genes predicted to be involved in amino acid and polyamine transport and metabolism, and Northern blot analyses indicate that the AbcR sRNAs accelerate the degradation of the target mRNAs. In an Escherichia coli two-plasmid reporter system, overexpression of either AbcR1 or AbcR2 was sufficient for regulation of target mRNAs, indicating that the AbcR sRNAs from B. abortus 2308 perform redundant regulatory functions.