Figure 7. Model for Orn’s cellular function as a diribonuclease.

RNA degradation is initiated by fragmentation via endoribonucleases (e.g. RNase E and RNase III) that cleave unstructured or structured RNA sequences. RNA fragments are processed further at their 3’ termini by 3’−5’ exoribonucleases (e.g. PNPase, RNase R, and RNase II). Their combined activity produces mononucleotides and various terminal diribonucleotides from the original RNA fragments. The pGpG (GG) linear diribonucleotide is also produced by linearization of c-di-GMP by specific phosphodiesterases, EAL- and HD-GYP-domain-containing enzymes, which terminate c-di-GMP signaling. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa and likely other organisms that rely on Orn for growth, Orn is the only diribonuclease that cleaves diribonucleotides to mononucleotides. In the absence of Orn, diribonucleotides accumulate with a drastic impact on cellular physiology, ranging from transcriptional changes, small-colony phenotypes and growth arrest, depending on the organism. Orn is also unique because it acts as the second phosphodiesterase in the degradation of c-di-GMP by clearing the pGpG intermediate. In an orn mutant, c-di-GMP levels are elevated through feedback inhibition of the c-di-GMP-degrading phosphodiesterases by pGpG, leading to the associated biofilm phenotypes.