Current Insights into the Application of Bacterial Small RNAs in the Antimicrobial Resistance Network: Attempting to Combat Multidrug-Resistant Pathogens

Understanding the gene regulatory networks that control antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial tolerance is crucial for developing new therapies and extending the shelf life of currently available antimicrobial arsenal. In a wide spectrum of bacteria, Regulatory small RNA have the ability to influence transcription, translation, mRNA stability, and DNA maintenance or silencing through a variety of mechanisms, including mRNA leaders that affect cis expression, small RNAs that bind to proteins or base pair with target RNAs, The development of novel therapeutics to treat antimicrobial -resistant bacteria, particularly to multidrug resistant pathogens, is urgently needed. Bacterial genetic regulatory networks control a variety of processes, including functions required for antibiotic uptake, modifications to the cell envelope that protect against antimicrobials), drug efflux pumps that expel antibiotics, metabolic enzymes that confer resistance, and the production of biofilms that protect against antibiotics. Uncovering the roles of sRNAs in virulence and host immunity will provide fundamental knowledge that can be used to develop next-generation antibiotics that use sRNAs as original targets.