The Hfq protein was iscovered in 1968 as an E. coli host factor that was essential for replication of the bacteriophage Qβ. It is found to be involved in a variety of RNA modification processes. It has been shown that Hfq targets mRNA transcripts for degradation. The protein is related to the Sm proteins found in the spliceosome. Six copies of the Hfq protein form a hexagonal ring. A number of small bacterial RNAs have been shown to bind to Hfq: