Editorial: RNA in bacteria: biogenesis, regulatory mechanisms and functions

Abstract

The advent of high-throughput computational and RNA sequencing approaches in the past decade has highlighted an increasing number of RNA molecules in bacteria with critical functions in metabolic, physiological and virulence processes. Accordingly, proteins that interact with RNA have also benefited from a regained interest. A multitude of mechanisms involved in the regulation of gene expression by RNA molecules and in the interaction of RNAs with molecular partners have been described. There is a growing curiosity in understanding how RNA interferes or interacts with target DNA, RNA and proteins, and in the identification and characterization of nucleases, RNA helicases or RNA chaperones responsible for the activation, stability, decay or modes of action of RNA molecules. Remarkably, the recent analysis of CRISPR-Cas systems as RNA-mediated adaptive immune pathways in bacteria and archaea has resulted in the identification of novel families of proteins that function alone or in complexes to interact with RNA and/or DNA, and novel mechanisms of nucleic acid-based interference herewith. Information is now available on a large and still growing number of bacterial RNA molecules, the targets and functions of which are largely unknown. Given the enormous heterogeneity among different bacteria and the constant pressure for adaptation to multiple stresses and environments, we expect to discover a wide variety of novel RNAs with regulatory functions and associated proteins. We predict exciting findings and innovation in the field of RNA research in bacteria for a number of years to come. In this issue, FEMS Microbiology Reviews has selected a series of articles that highlight some of the recent findings on RNA biology in bacteria focusing on RNA biogenesis, modes of action, regulatory mechanisms and functions. The continuous effort to adapt innovative technologies and biological approaches to the bacterial RNA field has advanced our understanding of how regulatory RNAs and their … [↵][1]* Corresponding editors. E-mail: emmanuelle.charpentier{at}helmholtz-hzi.de and wolfgang.hess{at}biologie.uni-freiburg.de [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1