title: Competing endogenous RNAs: a target-centric view of small RNA regulation in bacteria.
abstract: Many bacterial regulatory small RNAs (sRNAs) have several mRNA targets, which places them at the centre of regulatory networks that help bacteria to adapt to environmental changes. However, different mRNA targets of any given sRNA compete with each other for binding to the sRNA; thus, depending on relative abundances and sRNA affinity, competition for regulatory sRNAs can mediate cross-regulation between bacterial mRNAs. This 'target-centric' perspective of sRNA regulation is reminiscent of the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) hypothesis, which posits that competition for a limited pool of microRNAs (miRNAs) in higher eukaryotes mediates cross-regulation of mRNAs. In this Opinion article, we discuss evidence that a similar network of RNA crosstalk operates in bacteria, and that this network also includes crosstalk between sRNAs and competition for RNA-binding proteins.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), University Paris-Saclay, 1 Avenue de la Terrasse, F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
authors.forename: Lionello
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bossi
authors.affiliation: Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), University Paris-Saclay, 1 Avenue de la Terrasse, F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
authors.forename: Nara
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Figueroa-Bossi
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020733:RNA, Small Cytoplasmic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D058727:RNA, Small Untranslated / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D035683:MicroRNAs; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D020733:RNA, Small Cytoplasmic; D058727:RNA, Small Untranslated; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins