Bacteria use a range of RNA regulators collectively termed small RNAs (sRNAs) to help respond to changes in the environment. Many sRNAs regulate their target mRNAs through limited base-pairing interactions. Ongoing characterization of base-pairing sRNAs in bacteria has started to reveal how these sRNAs participate in global regulatory networks. These networks can be broken down into smaller regulatory circuits that have characteristic behaviors and functions. In this review, we describe the specific regulatory circuits that incorporate base-pairing sRNAs and the importance of each circuit in global regulation. Because most of these circuits were originally identified as network motifs in transcriptional networks, we also discuss why sRNAs may be used over protein transcription factors to help transduce environmental signals.

中文翻译：

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碱基配对小 RNA 及其在全球监管网络中的作用。

细菌使用一系列统称为小 RNA (sRNA) 的 RNA 调节因子来帮助应对环境变化。许多 sRNA 通过有限的碱基配对相互作用来调节它们的目标 mRNA。细菌中碱基配对 sRNA 的持续表征已开始揭示这些 sRNA 如何参与全球监管网络。这些网络可以分解为具有特征行为和功能的较小调节回路。在这篇综述中，我们描述了包含碱基配对 sRNA 的特定调控回路以及每个回路在全球调控中的重要性。因为这些回路中的大多数最初被确定为转录网络中的网络基序，我们还讨论了为什么 sRNA 可以用于代替蛋白质转录因子来帮助转导环境信号。