2012/11/19 by Jong-Chin Lin, Changbong Hyeon, D. Thirumalai
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Physics and Astronomy · #Folding (DSP implementation) #Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications #Molecular dynamics #Molecule #Nucleic acid #Nucleic acid structure #Origins and Evolution of Life #RNA #RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms #Riboswitch #Tensegrity #cond-mat.soft #physics.bio-ph #q-bio.BM
paper · pdf · doi:10.1021/jz301537t
published as J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2012, vol 3, 3616 · 24 pages, 6 figures
openalex publication_date 2012/11/19 · arxiv created 2012/11/28 · arxiv updated 2012/11/29 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Non-coding RNA sequences play a great role in controlling a number of cellular functions, thus raising the need to understand their complex conformational dynamics in quantitative detail. In this perspective, we first show that single molecule pulling when combined with with theory and simulations can be used to quantitatively explore the folding landscape of nucleic acid hairpins, and riboswitches with tertiary interactions. Applications to riboswitches, which are non-coding RNA elements that control gene expression by undergoing dynamical conformational changes in response to binding of metabolites, lead to an organization principle that assembly of RNA is determined by the stability of isolated helices. We also point out the limitations of single molecule pulling experiments, with molecular extension as the only accessible parameter, in extracting key parameters of the folding landscapes of RNA molecules.