Emerging applications of riboswitches in chemical biology

Living systems use RNA sequences known as riboswitches to detect the concentrations of small-molecule metabolites within cells and to regulate the expression of genes that produce these metabolites. Like their natural counterparts, synthetic riboswitches also regulate gene expression in response to small molecules. Because synthetic riboswitches can be engineered to respond to nonendogenous small molecules, they are powerful tools for chemical and synthetic biologists interested in understanding and reprogramming cellular behavior. In this review, we present an overview of natural riboswitches, highlight recent studies toward developing synthetic riboswitches and provide an overview of emerging applications of these RNA switches in chemical biology.