Investigating RNA toxicity using sister sRNAs OmrA & OmrB
Bacteria have harnessed a variety of self-acting toxic mechanisms to regulate plasmid maintenance, phage defense, expression of virulence factors, and antimicrobial resistance. It was thought that the expression of toxic proteins was the sole source of toxicity in bacteria. Recent studies have shown the potential for RNA to cause toxic growth phenotypes independent of toxic protein expression. How