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Updated: Mar 29, 2026
Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay EMSA for the Study of RNA-Protein Interactions: The IRE/IRP Example
Published on: December 3, 2014
Electrophoretic Deformation of Individual Transfer RNA Molecules Reveals Their Identity
Robert Y Henley1, Brian Alan Ashcroft2, Ian Farrell3
1Department of Physics, Northeastern University , Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States.
Abstract:
It has been hypothesized that the ribosome gains additional fidelity during protein translation by probing structural differences in tRNA species. We measure the translocation kinetics of different tRNA species through ∼3 nm diameter synthetic nanopores. Each tRNA species varies in the time scale with which it is deformed from equilibrium, as in the translocation step of protein translation. Using machine-learning algorithms, we can differentiate among five tRNA species, analyze the ratios of tRNA binary mixtures, and distinguish tRNA isoacceptors.
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