中文摘要：

小RNA（smallRNA,sRNA）在基因表达调控和生长发育等方面发挥着重要作用。细菌sRNA多通过与靶mRNA配对,转录后水平影响目的mRNA翻译或（和）稳定性,对基因的表达进行调节,以影响细胞的多种生理功能。本文从细菌sRNA与真核生物微RNA（microRNA,miRNA）的比较,sRNA的分类,sRNA分子伴侣Hfq及sRNA鉴别方法等方面综述了sRNA的研究进展,指出目前sRNA研究仍然存在的问题。原核生物中sRNA的大量发现和深入研究,有可能使人们对生物进化和生命的发展过程有更为深入的认识与了解。

英文摘要：

Most small RNAs（sRNAs） are characterized to act as post-transcriptional regulators by interacting with specific mRNA targets,modulating message stability and/or altering its accessibility to the translational machinery.sRNAs have been shown to be involved in myriad cellular processes,including translational quality control,acid resistance and iron homeostasis,and have recently been implicated in regulating the virulence of several pathogens.In this paper,we reviewed the research progress in sRNAs from the classification and identification of sRNA,and pointed that many challenges in the identification and characterization of sRNAs lie ahead.Further research on the bacterial sRNAs will prompt the understanding of evolution.