细菌的sRNAs在多种生物学途径中发挥着重要作用，在某些致病菌中sRNAs还与细菌的毒力密切相关。布鲁氏菌作为引起人和动物布病的病原体，其致病机制的研究对于指导布鲁氏菌病的防治具有重要意义。在布鲁氏菌中sRNAs的研究非常有限。申请人早期的研究工作对布鲁氏菌的sRNAs进行了预测，并对少数sRNAs的功能进行了研究。为了研究布鲁氏菌sRNAs毒力相关机制，拟采用反转录PCR对预测sRNAs结果进行验证，通过生物信息学预测和双质粒系统验证对sRNAs的靶点进行研究。对鉴定出的sRNAs构建相应的突变株，并通过感染巨噬细胞和小鼠筛选毒力相关sRNAs，利用环境应激实验和检测靶点基因、重要毒力因子的表达水平解释sRNAs突变株毒力降低的机制。本研究为探索布鲁氏菌中sRNAs参与的致病机制和筛选治疗所需靶标奠定基础。

The bacteria sRNAs play important roles in various biological pathways, and sRNAs are also related to bacterial virulence in some pathogenic bacteria. As the pathogens of human and animal brucellosis, studies of their pathogenesis have great significance for guiding the prevention and control of brucellosis. However, research on Brucella sRNAs is very limited. Previous studies of our team have predicted putative sRNAs and the functions of several sRNAs were also studied. To study the virulence-related mechanism of sRNAs in Brucella, we propose to verify the prediction results of sRNAs using RT-PCR，and study the targets of verified sRNAs by bioinformatics method and two-plasmid system. Then mutants of sRNAs will be constructed and used to detect the virulence-related sRNAs by evaluating their survival abilities in both macrophages and mice infection models. To explain the virulence related mechanism, stress response assays will be performed, and the expression levels of corresponding targets and virulence genes also will be detected. This study will provide information about sRNAs related pathogenesis and development of new drugs for Brucella.