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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Development and Assessment of Intracellular Infection Models for Staphylococcus aureus
Published on: January 17, 2025
The conserved regulatory RNA RsaE down-regulates the arginine degradation pathway in Staphylococcus aureus
Tatiana Rochat1,2, Chantal Bohn1, Claire Morvan1
1Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91190 Gif sur Yvette, France.
Abstract:
RsaE is a regulatory RNA highly conserved amongst Firmicutes that lowers the amount of mRNAs associated with the TCA cycle and folate metabolism. A search for new RsaE targets in Staphylococcus aureus revealed that in addition to previously described substrates, RsaE down-regulates several genes associated with arginine catabolism. In particular, RsaE targets the arginase rocF mRNA via direct interactions involving G-rich motifs. Two duplicated C-rich motifs of RsaE can independently downregulate rocF expression. The faster growth rate of ΔrsaE compared to its parental strain in media containing amino acids as sole carbon source points to an underlying role for RsaE in amino acid catabolism. Collectively, the data support a model in which RsaE acts as a global regulator of functions associated with metabolic adaptation.
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