What is PinT small RNA?

In bacteria, PinT small RNA is a small regulatory RNA that is activated during stress and virulence conditions. sRNAs base-pair with target mRNAs and modulate their stability or translation. The expression of PhoP-activated sRNA called PinT is highly induced during Salmonella enterica infection. PinT temporally controls Salmonella virulence genes. On bacterial internalization it controls the expression of invasion associated effectors through the direct base-pairing with the mRNA. Later in infection it represses the virulence genes allowing the switch from an invasive state to the state of intracellular replication.