The protein regulator ArgR and the sRNA derived from the 3'-UTR region of its gene, ArgX, both regulate the arginine deiminase pathway in Lactococcus lactis.

Small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) and their enormous potential and versatility have provided us with an astounding insight in the complexity of bacterial transcriptomes. sRNAs have been shown to be involved in a variety of cellular processes that range from stress to general metabolism. Here we report that the gene encoding the transcriptional regulator ArgR is immediately followed by the gene of the small regulatory RNA ArgX.