Due to minute size and limited sequence complexity, small proteins can be challenging to identify but are emerging as important regulators of diverse processes in bacteria. In this issue of the Journal of Bacteriology, Kraus and coworkers (A. Kraus, M. Weskamp, J. Zierles, M. Balzer, et al., J Bacteriol 202:e00309-20, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.00309-20) report a comprehensive analysis of a fascinating subfamily of arginine-rich small proteins in Agrobacterium tumefaciens, conserved among Alphaproteobacteria. Their findings reveal that these small proteins are under complex regulation and have a disproportionately large impact on metabolism and behavior.

中文翻译：

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简短，丰富而有力：富含精氨酸的小蛋白新家族对根癌农杆菌具有巨大的影响。

由于微小的尺寸和有限的序列复杂性，小的蛋白质可能难以鉴定，但正在成为细菌中各种过程的重要调节剂。在本期《细菌学杂志》上，克劳斯及其同事（A.克劳斯，M。韦斯坎普，J。齐尔莱斯，M。巴尔泽等人，《细菌学杂志》 202：e00309-20，2020，https://doi.org /10.1128/JB.00309-20）报告了对根癌农杆菌中富含精氨酸的小蛋白的一个迷人亚家族的综合分析，该家族在Alphaproteobacteria细菌中是保守的。他们的发现表明，这些小蛋白质受复杂的调节，对代谢和行为的影响特别大。