Decoding riboregulation in complex cellular behaviour of bacteria

In cells from every domain of life, RNA acts to communicate hereditary information, to regulate gene expression, and to support network control. Therefore, the fates of diverse RNA molecules, their biogenesis and lifetime, play a critical role in determining complex cellular behaviour. We propose to investigate the processes that govern RNA fate in bacteria. We hypothesise that defined ribonucleoprotein complexes act in key steps of cellular control, including co-transcriptional ribonucleoprotein folding and surveillance of transcripts during translation. We will test this experimentally and will also seek to understand how such complexes might be linked to sensing and responding to cellular status, including metabolic remodelling. To this end, we will study the structure and function of key RNA-processing complexes in model bacterial species. Our targets include both stable protein-RNA complexes, which will be isolated and examined by high-resolution structural and functional analysis, and more transient assemblies, which will need to be investigated inside the cells to capture their information-rich physiological states. Our work will help to elaborate rules that define the lifetime and biological impact of RNA and its contribution to complex cellular phenotypes, including infectious virulence and antibiotic resistance of various bacterial species.