Stepwise sRNA targeting of structured bacterial mRNAs leads to abortive annealing

Bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs) regulate the expression of hundreds of transcripts via base pairing mediated by the Hfq chaperone protein. sRNAs and the mRNA sites they target are heterogeneous in sequence, length, and secondary structure. To understand how Hfq can flexibly match diverse sRNA and mRNA pairs, we developed a single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) platform that visualizes the target search on timescales relevant in cells. Here we show that unfolding of target secondary structure on Hfq creates a kinetic energy barrier that determines whether target recognition succeeds or aborts before a stable anti-sense complex is achieved. Premature dissociation of the sRNA can be alleviated by strong RNA-Hfq interactions, explaining why sRNAs have different target recognition profiles. We propose that the diverse sequences and structures of Hfq substrates create an additional layer of information that tunes the efficiency and selectivity of non-coding RNA regulation in bacteria.