Unravelling small RNA regulatory networks to target and control bacteria.

Small RNA (sRNA) molecules are critical regulators of bacterial gene expression and they control important phenotypes in the Gram-negative veterinary pathogen Pasteurella multocida. This project will identify the range of P. multocida sRNAs and show how their expression changes under various growth conditions. We
will identify the mRNA targets of the sRNAs, identify the mechanisms of sRNA-mRNA interaction and build
systems-biology models that describe the sRNA regulatory circuits. We will design inhibitors to disrupt critical
sRNA-mRNA interactions and use these to modulate specific phenotypes. The ability to precisely manipulate sRNA regulatory circuits would allow fine control of bacterial phenotypes and would be widely applicable.