SgrS RNA
Encyclopedia
SgrS is a 227 nucleotide small RNA
Non-coding RNA
A non-coding RNA is a functional RNA molecule that is not translated into a protein. Less-frequently used synonyms are non-protein-coding RNA , non-messenger RNA and functional RNA . The term small RNA is often used for short bacterial ncRNAs...

 that is activated by SgrR in Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms . Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some serotypes can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for product recalls...

during glucose
Glucose
Glucose is a simple sugar and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate...

-phosphate stress. The nature of glucose-phosphate stress is not fully understood, but is correlated with intracellular accumulation of glucose-6-phosphate
Glucose-6-phosphate
Glucose 6-phosphate is glucose sugar phosphorylated on carbon 6. This compound is very common in cells as the vast majority of glucose entering a cell will become phosphorylated in this way....

. SgrS helps cells recover from glucose-phosphate stress by base pairing with ptsG mRNA (encoding the glucose transporter) and causing its degradation in an RNase E dependent manner. Base pairing between SgrS and ptsG mRNA also requires Hfq, an RNA chaperone frequently required by small RNAs that affect their targets through base pairing. The inability of cells expressing sgrS to create new glucose transporters leads to less glucose uptake and reduced levels of glucose-6-phosphate
Glucose-6-phosphate
Glucose 6-phosphate is glucose sugar phosphorylated on carbon 6. This compound is very common in cells as the vast majority of glucose entering a cell will become phosphorylated in this way....

. SgrS is an unusual small RNA in that it also encodes a 43 amino acid
Amino acid
Amino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side-chain that varies between different amino acids. The key elements of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen...

 functional polypeptide, SgrT, which helps cells recover from glucose-phosphate stress by preventing glucose uptake. The activity of SgrT does not affect the levels of ptsG mRNA of PtsG protein. It has been proposed that SgrT exerts its effects through regulation of the glucose transporter, PtsG.

SrgS was originally discovered in E. coli but homologues
Homology (biology)
Homology forms the basis of organization for comparative biology. In 1843, Richard Owen defined homology as "the same organ in different animals under every variety of form and function". Organs as different as a bat's wing, a seal's flipper, a cat's paw and a human hand have a common underlying...

 have since been identified in other Gammaproteobacteria
Gammaproteobacteria
Gammaproteobacteria is a class of several medically, ecologically and scientifically important groups of bacteria, such as the Enterobacteriaceae , Vibrionaceae and Pseudomonadaceae. An exceeding number of important pathogens belongs to this class, e.g...

 such as Salmonella enterica
Salmonella enterica
Salmonella enterica is a rod-shaped flagellated, facultative anaerobic, Gram-negative bacterium, and a member of the genus Salmonella.- Epidemiology :...

and members of the Citrobacter
Citrobacter
Citrobacter is a genus of Gram-negative coliform bacteria in the Enterobacteriaceae family.The species C. amalonaticus, C. koseri, and C. freundii use solely citrate as a carbon source...

genus.

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