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Updated: Jul 23, 2025

Monitoring Protein-RNA Interaction Dynamics In Vivo at High Temporal Resolution Using χCRAC
Published on: May 9, 2020
Evidence that OLE RNA is a component of a major stress-responsive ribonucleoprotein particle in extremophilic
Ronald R Breaker1,2,3, Kimberly A Harris1, Seth E Lyon2
1Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Abstract:
OLE RNA is a ~600-nucleotide noncoding RNA present in many Gram-positive bacteria that thrive mostly in extreme environments, including elevated temperature, salt, and pH conditions. The precise biochemical functions of this highly conserved RNA remain unknown, but it forms a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex that localizes to cell membranes. Genetic disruption of the RNA or its essential protein partners causes reduced cell growth under various stress conditions. These phenotypes include sensitivity to short-chain alcohols, cold intolerance, reduced growth on sub-optimal carbon sources, and intolerance of even modest concentrations of Mg2+ . Thus, many bacterial species appear to employ OLE RNA as a component of an intricate RNP apparatus to monitor fundamental cellular processes and make physiological and metabolic adaptations. Herein we hypothesize that the OLE RNP complex is functionally equivalent to the eukaryotic TOR complexes, which integrate signals from various diverse pathways to coordinate processes central to cell growth, replication, and survival.
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