Toxic Small RNA
Open-knowledge reference entry
In molecular biology, Toxic Small RNA (tsRNA, not to be confused with tRNA-derived small RNA) is a family of trans-encoded small non-coding RNA found exclusively in intergenic regions of Betaproteobacteria. Several paralogous loci may encode similar (but not identical) tsRNAs in each coding genome. Typically, each species of Burkholderia has 3-5 homologous tsRNAs. Experiments with four species of the Burkholderia lineage showed conserved and constitutive expression of tsRNAs in logarithmic growth phases.
Sequence and structure
Characterization of the secondary structures of 4 tsRNAs in Burkholderia cenocepacia suggests they form double hairpin structures. Sometimes, this structure only results after the RNA is processed (as in ncS27). Typically, there is a CU-rich (Cytosine and Uracil rich) region in the unpaired segments of the secondary structure. This CU-rich region is suggested to be the functional region that binds the ribosome-binding site (RBS) of mRNAs.
Function
While the mechanism of action may vary depending on the target, it has been suggested that tsRNAs regulate gene expression by binding the ribosome binding sequence of multiple mRNAs. The low GC (Guanine and Cytosine) content of tsRNAs found in Herbaspirillum seropedicae would support this hypothesis.
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This entry incorporates text from “Toxic Small RNA” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.