Regulating the regulator: MicF RNA controls expression of the global regulator Lrp

Studies on the regulatory RNA MicF in Enterobacteriaceae reveal a pivotal role in gene regulation. Multiple target gene mRNAs were identified and, importantly, MicF RNA regulates the expression of the global regulatory gene lrp (Holmqvist et al., 2012; Corcoran et al., 2012). Thus MicF RNA is a central factor in a regulatory network that regulates bacterial cell physiology.