Streptococci are a genus of gram-positive coccus of spherical bacteria, including many commensal bacteria and opportunistic pathogens that threaten the public health system. Small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs regulating gene expression via various regulatory mechanisms, which have been illustrated to play vital roles in regulations of virulence factor expressions. Recent advances in sequencing technology and bioinformatic analysis facilitated discovery of a myriad of sRNAs from pathogenic bacteria, revealing a variety of unique features that contribute to gene expressions and virulence regulations. Although various research studies have reported the regulatory functions of sRNAs in the virulence of bacterial species of the genus Streptococci, the common features of sRNAs in the pathogenesis of Streptococci remain unclear. This blocks the development of novel antistreptococcal antibiotics and antibacterial strategies. Here, we summarize the fundamental roles of Streptococcal sRNAs in pathogenic regulations, which advance mechanistic understanding of streptococcal infection associated diseases. Moreover, we discuss the prospects of sRNA acting as drug targets to combat bacterial antibiotic resistance.

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链球菌中的小非编码 RNA：从调节功能到药物开发

链球菌是球形细菌的革兰氏阳性球菌属，包括许多威胁公共卫生系统的共生细菌和机会病原体。小非编码RNA（sRNA）是一类通过多种调节机制调节基因表达的非编码RNA，已被证明在毒力因子表达的调节中发挥着重要作用。测序技术和生物信息学分析的最新进展促进了从病原菌中发现大量 sRNA，揭示了有助于基因表达和毒力调节的各种独特特征。尽管各种研究报告了 sRNA 对链球菌属细菌毒力的调节功能然而，sRNA 在链球菌发病机制中的共同特征仍不清楚。这阻碍了新型抗链球菌抗生素和抗菌策略的开发。在这里，我们总结了链球菌sRNA 在致病调控中的基本作用，这促进了对链球菌感染相关疾病的机制理解。此外，我们还讨论了 sRNA 作为药物靶点对抗细菌抗生素耐药性的前景。