House of CarDs: Functional insights into the transcriptional regulator CdnL

Regulation of bacterial transcription is a complex and multi-faceted phenomenon that is critical for growth and adaptation. Proteins in the CarD_CdnL_TRCF family are widespread, often essential, regulators of transcription of genes required for growth and metabolic homeostasis. Research in the last decade has described the mechanistic and structural bases of CarD-CdnL-mediated regulation of transcription initiation. More recently, studies in a range of bacteria have begun to elucidate the physiological roles of CarD-CdnL proteins as well as mechanisms by which these proteins, themselves, are regulated. A theme has emerged wherein regulation of CarD-CdnL proteins is central to bacterial adaptation to stress and/or changing environmental conditions.