Due to the high exposition to changing environmental conditions, bacteria have developed many mechanisms enabling immediate adjustments of gene expression. In many cases, the required speed and plasticity of the response are provided by RNA-dependent regulatory mechanisms. This is possible due to the very high dynamics and flexibility of an RNA structure, which provide the necessary sensitivity and specificity for efficient sensing and transduction of environmental signals. In this review, we will discuss the current knowledge about known bacterial regulatory mechanisms which rely on RNA structure. To better understand the structure-driven modulation of gene expression, we describe the basic theory on RNA structure folding and dynamics. Next, we present examples of multiple mechanisms employed by RNA regulators in the control of bacterial transcription and translation.
Keywords: RNA structure; bacterial sRNAs; ncRNAs; regulation of gene expression; riboswitches.