AUTHOR=Jabbour Nancy , Lartigue Marie-Frédérique 

TITLE=An Inventory of CiaR-Dependent Small Regulatory RNAs in Streptococci

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.669396

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2021.669396

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Bacteria adapt to the different environments encountered by rapid and tightly controlled regulations involving complex networks. A first line of control is transcriptional with regulators such as two-component systems (TCSs) that respond to physical and chemical perturbations. It is followed by posttranscriptional regulations in which small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) may affect RNA translation. <italic>Streptococci</italic> are opportunistic pathogens for humans and farm animals. The TCS CiaRH is highly conserved among this genus and crucial in bacterial survival under stressful conditions. In several streptococcal species, some sRNAs belong to the CiaRH regulon and are called csRNAs for <italic>cia</italic>-dependent sRNAs. In this review, we start by focusing on the <italic>Streptococcus</italic> species harboring a CiaRH TCS. Then the role of CiaRH in streptococcal pathogenesis is discussed in the context of recent studies. Finally, we give an overview of csRNAs and their functions in <italic>Streptococci</italic> with a focus on their importance in bacterial adaptation and virulence.</p>