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Related Experiment Videos

Early events in RNA folding.

D Thirumalai1, N Lee, S A Woodson

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. thirum@glue.umd.edu.

Annual Review of Physical Chemistry
|April 28, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Large RNA molecules fold via a kinetic partitioning mechanism (KPM), where some rapidly reach their native state and others get trapped. This model unifies RNA and protein folding, validated by Tetrahymena ribozyme experiments.

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Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Understanding large RNA molecule folding is crucial for molecular biology.
  • The free-energy landscape of RNA folding is complex and rugged.
  • Existing models do not fully explain the kinetics of RNA folding.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present a conceptual framework for large RNA molecule folding.
  • To introduce the kinetic partitioning mechanism (KPM) as a unifying model for RNA and protein folding.
  • To analyze experimental data and describe early events in RNA folding.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a conceptual framework based on rugged free-energy landscapes.
  • Application of the kinetic partitioning mechanism (KPM) to RNA folding.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analysis of single-molecule experiments on Tetrahymena ribozyme.

    • Main Results:

    • KPM predicts a fraction of RNA molecules fold rapidly to the native state, while others are kinetically trapped in non-native states.
    • The model unifies the folding processes of both RNA and proteins.
    • Experimental data from Tetrahymena ribozyme directly validate the KPM theory.
    • Early events (microsecond timescales) in RNA folding involve counterion-condensation-mediated collapse.

    Conclusions:

    • The kinetic partitioning mechanism provides a unified and validated model for large RNA folding.
    • Counterion condensation is a key factor in the initial collapse of RNA molecules.
    • The study offers insights into the timescales of early events in RNA folding for Tetrahymena ribozyme.