Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Conserved Binding Sites01:49

Conserved Binding Sites

4.1K
Many proteins’ biological role depends on their interactions with their ligands, small molecules that bind to specific locations on the protein known as ligand-binding sites. Ligand-binding sites are often conserved among homologous proteins as these sites are critical for protein function.
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally...
4.1K
Conserved Binding Sites01:49

Conserved Binding Sites

1.1K
1.1K
Riboswitches01:56

Riboswitches

7.9K
Riboswitches are non-coding mRNA domains that regulate the transcription and translation of downstream genes without the help of proteins. Riboswitches bind directly to a metabolite and can form unique stem-loop or hairpin structures in response to the amount of the metabolite present. They have two distinct regions – a metabolite-binding aptamer and an expression platform.
The aptamer has high specificity for a particular metabolite which allows riboswitches to specifically regulate...
7.9K
Transcriptional Regulation: Riboswitches01:23

Transcriptional Regulation: Riboswitches

1.2K
Riboswitches are RNA elements that regulate gene expression by altering their secondary structures in response to specific effector molecules. These elements, located in the leader regions of certain mRNAs, act as transcriptional regulators by toggling between alternative conformations to control downstream gene expression. Riboswitch-mediated regulation is a precise mechanism for modulating biosynthetic pathways, as exemplified by the riboflavin biosynthesis pathway in Bacillus...
1.2K
Types of RNA01:23

Types of RNA

60.9K
Overview
Three main types of RNA are involved in protein synthesis: messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). These RNAs perform diverse functions and can be broadly classified as protein-coding or non-coding RNA. Non-coding RNAs play important roles in the regulation of gene expression in response to developmental and environmental changes. Non-coding RNAs in prokaryotes can be manipulated to develop more effective antibacterial drugs for human or animal use.
RNA...
60.9K
Types of RNA01:20

Types of RNA

13.9K
Three main types of RNA are involved in protein synthesis: messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). These RNAs perform diverse functions and can be broadly classified as protein-coding or non-coding RNA. Non-coding RNAs play important roles in regulating gene expression in response to developmental and environmental changes. Non-coding RNAs in prokaryotes can be manipulated to develop more effective antibacterial drugs for human or animal use.
RNA Performs Diverse...
13.9K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Effect of MN-166 (ibudilast) on acute respiratory failure prevention in hospitalized participants with COVID-19: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 study.

BMC pulmonary medicine·2026
Same author

Evaluation of Liver Fibrosis Change After DAA-induced Cure of Hepatitis C in Participants With and Without HIV: ACTG A5320 Viral Hepatitis C Infection Long-term Cohort Study (VHICS).

Open forum infectious diseases·2026
Same author

Short Course Therapy With Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir for Early Hepatitis C Virus Infection: PURGE-C.

Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·2025
Same author

Hepatitis C Screening in Emergency Departments: The DETECT Hep C Randomized Clinical Trial.

JAMA·2025
Same author

Hepatitis C-related knowledge and attitude among adults on probation in a large US city.

Health & justice·2024
Same author

The Structural Role of N170 in Substrate-Assisted Deacylation in KPC-2 β-Lactamase.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Nanomanipulation of Single RNA Molecules by Optical Tweezers
06:59

Nanomanipulation of Single RNA Molecules by Optical Tweezers

Published on: August 20, 2014

14.5K

Functional conservation despite structural divergence in ligand-responsive RNA switches.

Mark A Boerneke1, Sergey M Dibrov1, Jing Gu1

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|October 29, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Researchers found small, stable RNA switches in viral internal ribosome entry sites (IRES) that control protein synthesis. These switches are activated by specific ligands, offering a new mechanism for gene regulation in viruses like hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Keywords:
IRES elementsRNA viruseshepatitis C virustranslation regulation

More Related Videos

Optical Tweezers to Study RNA-Protein Interactions in Translation Regulation
12:26

Optical Tweezers to Study RNA-Protein Interactions in Translation Regulation

Published on: February 12, 2022

5.1K
Real-time Analysis of Transcription Factor Binding, Transcription, Translation, and Turnover to Display Global Events During Cellular Activation
12:54

Real-time Analysis of Transcription Factor Binding, Transcription, Translation, and Turnover to Display Global Events During Cellular Activation

Published on: March 7, 2018

14.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Nanomanipulation of Single RNA Molecules by Optical Tweezers
06:59

Nanomanipulation of Single RNA Molecules by Optical Tweezers

Published on: August 20, 2014

14.5K
Optical Tweezers to Study RNA-Protein Interactions in Translation Regulation
12:26

Optical Tweezers to Study RNA-Protein Interactions in Translation Regulation

Published on: February 12, 2022

5.1K
Real-time Analysis of Transcription Factor Binding, Transcription, Translation, and Turnover to Display Global Events During Cellular Activation
12:54

Real-time Analysis of Transcription Factor Binding, Transcription, Translation, and Turnover to Display Global Events During Cellular Activation

Published on: March 7, 2018

14.9K

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Virology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Internal ribosome entry sites (IRES) are crucial for initiating protein synthesis in certain RNA viruses, such as the hepatitis C virus (HCV).
  • Understanding the regulatory mechanisms of viral translation is vital for developing antiviral therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To discover and characterize novel ligand-responsive conformational switches within viral IRES elements.
  • To elucidate the role of these switches in viral translation and their potential as therapeutic targets.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of viral RNA structures and sequences.
  • Identification of conserved RNA motifs acting as switches.
  • Investigating ligand-binding interactions and conformational changes.

Main Results:

  • Discovery of modular RNA motifs functioning as ligand-captured switches in viral IRES.
  • These switches exhibit distinct sequences and secondary structures but are conserved functionally.
  • The identified switches are smaller and more structurally defined than typical riboswitches.

Conclusions:

  • Viral IRES elements contain a new class of small, stable, ligand-responsive mechanical switches.
  • These switches represent a novel paradigm for ligand-mediated gene regulation in viruses.
  • The findings offer new insights into viral translation mechanisms and potential antiviral strategies.