Nachwuchsgruppe RNA-Biologie der Bakterien

Auf post-transkriptioneller Ebene sind kleine regulatorische RNAs (sRNAs) entscheidende Elemente der Genexpressionskontrolle in Bakterien. Die Mehrzahl der sRNAs kontrolliert Zieltranskripte über die Ausbildung direkter Basenpaarungen, welche zu Veränderung der Stabilität, der Prozessierung und der Translation der gebundenen mRNAs führen. Bakterielle sRNAs erlauben der Zelle, sich schnell an geänderte Umweltbedingungen anzupassen. Dabei sind sie besonders vielseitige Regulatoren, da sie die Genexpression sowohl aktivieren aber auch reprimieren können. Durch bioinformatische und experimentelle Studien wurden hunderte potenzieller sRNAs in den Genomen verschiedener bakterieller Spezies beschrieben, über deren Funktion und Mechanismen aber nur wenig bekannt ist. In unserer Arbeitsgruppe nutzen wir Caulobacter crescentus und Klebsiella pneumoniae als Modellorganismen um die Prinzipien der durch RNA regulierten Prozesse in Bakterien zu untersuchen und neue Mechanismen der bakteriellen Genexpressionskontrolle zu identifizieren.

• Costafrolaz J, Degeorges L, Panis G, Vallet SU, Velasco Gomariz M, Meireles FTP, Dal Peraro M, Fröhlich KS, Viollier PH (2026) Asymmetric envelope surface disposition of secreted protein YjbI controls bimodal antibiotic susceptibilities in C. crescentus. EMBO J 45(3):987-1023
• Vogt LN, Gomariz MV, Siemers M, Papenfort K, Fröhlich KS (2025) An RNA sponge directs the transition from feast to famine in Caulobacter crescentus. Nat Commun 16(1):9478
• Velasco-Gomariz M, Sulzer J, Faber F and Fröhlich KS (2025) An sRNA overexpression library reveals AbnZ as a negative regulator of an essential translocation module in Caulobacter crescentus. Nucleic Acids Res 53, gkae1139
• Bandyra KJ, Fröhlich KS, Vogel J, Rodnina M, Goyal A and Luisi BF (2024) Cooperation of regulatory RNA and the RNA degradosome in transcript surveillance. Nucleic Acids Res 52, 9161-9173
• Vogt LN, Panis G, Schäpers A, Peschek N, Huber M, Papenfort K, Viollier PH and Fröhlich KS (2024) Genome-wide profiling of Hfq-bound RNAs reveals the iron-responsive small RNA RusT in Caulobacter crescentus. mBio 15, e0315323
• Ruhland E, Siemers M, Gerst R, Späth F, Vogt LN, Figge MT, Papenfort K and Fröhlich KS (2024) The global RNA-RNA interactome of Klebsiella pneumoniae unveils a small RNA regulator of cell division. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 121, e2317322121
• Peschek N, Herzog R, Singh PK, Sprenger M, Meyer F, Fröhlich KS, Schröger L, Bramkamp M, Drescher K and Papenfort K (2020) RNA-mediated control of cell shape modulates antibiotic resistance in Vibrio cholerae. Nat Commun 11, 6067
• Huber M, Fröhlich KS, Radmer J and Papenfort K (2020) Switching fatty acid metabolism by an RNA-controlled feed forward loop. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 117, 8044-8054
• Santiago-Frangos A, Fröhlich KS, Jeliazkov JR, Malecka EM, Marino G, Gray JJ, Luisi BF, Woodson SA and Hardwick SW (2019) Caulobacter crescentus Hfq structure reveals a conserved mechanism of RNA annealing regulation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 116, 10978-10987
• Herzog R, Peschek N, Fröhlich KS, Schumacher K and Papenfort K (2019) Three autoinducer molecules act in concert to control virulence gene expression in Vibrio cholerae. Nucleic Acids Res, 47, 3171-3183
• Chuang SK, Vrla GD, Fröhlich KS and Gitai Z (2019) Surface association sensitizes Pseudomonas aeruginosa to quorum sensing. Nat Commun 10, 4118
• Bianco CM, Fröhlich KS, Vanderpool CK (2019) Bacterial Cyclopropane Fatty Acid Synthase mRNA is targeted by activating and repressing small RNAs. J Bacteriol 201(19)
• Santiago-Frangos A*, Fröhlich KS*, Jeliazkov JR, Małecka-Grajek EM, Marino G, Gray JJ, Luisi BF, Woodson SA, Hardwick SW (2019) Caulobacter crescentus Hfq structure reveals a conserved mechanism of RNA annealing regulation. Proc Nat Acad Sci 116(22):10978-10987
  *equally contributing authors
• Herzog R, Peschek N, Fröhlich KS, Schumacher K, Papenfort K (2019) Three autoinducer molecules act in concert to control virulence gene expression in Vibrio cholerae. Nucleic Acids Res 47(6):3171-3183 
• Fröhlich KS, Förstner KU, Gitai Z (2018) Post-transcriptional gene regulation by an Hfq-independent small RNA in Caulobacter crescentus. Nucleic Acids Res 46(20):10969-10982
• Fröhlich KS, Haneke K, Papenfort K, Vogel J (2016) The target spectrum of SdsR small RNA in Salmonella. Nucleic Acids Res 44(21): 10406-10422 
• Dimastrogiovanni D, Fröhlich KS, Bandyra KJ, Bruce HA, Hohensee S, Vogel J, Luisi BF (2014) Recognition of the small regulatory RNA RydC by the bacterial Hfq protein. Elife 2014 Dec 31;3
• Fröhlich KS, Papenfort K, Fekete A, Vogel J (2013) A small RNA activates CFA synthase by isoform-specific mRNA stabilization. Embo J 32(22):2963-79
• Fröhlich KS, Papenfort K, Berger AA, Vogel J (2012) A conserved RpoS-dependent small RNA controls the synthesis of major porin OmpD. Nucleic Acids Res 40(8): 3623-3640

• Vogt LN, Fröhlich KS (2025) Impact of Small RNA Sponges on Regulatory RNA Networks in Bacteria.
  Annu Rev Genet 59(1):69-89
• Fröhlich KS, and Velasco Gomariz M (2021) RNA-controlled regulation in Caulobacter crescentus. Curr Opin Microbiol 60: 1-7
• Fröhlich KS, and Papenfort K (2020) Regulation outside the box: New mechanisms for small RNAs. Mol Microbiol 114: 363-366
• Fröhlich KS, Gottesman S (2018) Small Regulatory RNAs in the Enterobacterial Response to Envelope Damage and Oxidative Stress. Microbiol Spectr 2018 Jul;6(4)
• Fröhlich KS, Papenfort K (2016) Interplay of regulatory RNAs and mobile genetic elements in enteric pathogens. Mol Microbiol 101(5):701-13
• Fröhlich KS, Vogel J (2009) Activation of gene expression by small RNA. Curr Opin Microbiol 12(6): 674-682

Pia Kunstmann (MSc.)

Georg Straßberger (BSc.)

Eric Ruhland

Manuel Velasco Gomariz

Leonie Giese (MSc. Microbiology)

Maria Thamm (MSc. Microbiology)

Felix Späth (MSc. Microbiology)

Pia Kunstmann (BSc. Biologie)

Pia Müller (BSc. Biologie)

Maria Schreiber (BSc. Bioinformatik)