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RNA Structure01:23

RNA Structure

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Overview
The basic structure of RNA consists of a five-carbon sugar and one of four nitrogenous bases. Although most RNA is single-stranded, it can form complex secondary and tertiary structures. Such structures play essential roles in the regulation of transcription and translation.
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The basic structure of RNA consists of a string of ribonucleotides attached by phosphodiester bonds. Although most RNA is single-stranded, it can form complex secondary and tertiary structures. Such structures play essential roles in the regulation of transcription and translation.
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One of the unique features of tRNA is the presence of modified bases. In some tRNAs, modified bases account for nearly 20% of the total bases in the molecule. Altogether, these unusual bases protect the tRNA from enzymatic degradation by RNases.
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Splicing is the process by which eukaryotic RNA is edited before its translation into protein. The RNA strand transcribed from eukaryotic DNA is called the primary transcript. The primary transcripts that become mRNAs are called precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs). Eukaryotic pre-mRNA contains alternating sequences of exons and introns. Exons are nucleotide sequences that code for proteins, whereas introns are the non-coding regions. In RNA splicing, introns are removed and exons are bonded...
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Ribosome synthesis is a highly complex and coordinated process involving more than 200 assembly factors. The synthesis and processing of ribosomal components occurs not only in the nucleolus but also in the nucleoplasm and the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells.
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lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs02:39

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In humans, more than 80% of the genome gets transcribed. However, only around 2% of the genome codes for proteins. The remaining part produces non-coding RNAs which includes ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, telomerase RNAs, and regulatory RNAs, among other types. A large number of regulatory non-coding RNAs have been classified into two groups depending upon their length – small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNA, which are less than 200 nucleotides in length, and long non-coding RNA...
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Transfer RNAs with novel cloverleaf structures.

Takahito Mukai1, Oscar Vargas-Rodriguez1, Markus Englert1

  • 1Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.

Nucleic Acids Research
|January 12, 2017
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Novel transfer RNA (tRNA) species with altered amino-acid acceptor branches were discovered. These unusual tRNAs, found in bacteria and phages, can act as suppressor tRNAs, expanding our understanding of genetic code diversity.

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genomics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are essential molecules for protein synthesis, typically featuring a conserved structure for amino acid attachment.
  • Canonical tRNAs possess a 7/5 base pair configuration in their amino-acid acceptor branches.
  • The search for selenocysteine tRNAs led to the discovery of atypical tRNA structures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize novel tRNA species with non-canonical structures.
  • To investigate the functional roles of these novel tRNAs in bacterial translation and gene regulation.
  • To explore the implications of these findings for the evolution of the genetic code.

Main Methods:

  • Bioinformatic analysis of large-scale genomic, metagenomic, and metatranscriptomic sequence data.
  • Comparative analysis of tRNA structures, focusing on acceptor stem and T-stem configurations.
  • Experimental validation of suppressor tRNA function in *Escherichia coli*.

Main Results:

  • Identification of novel tRNAs with 8/4 or 9/3 base pair configurations in their amino-acid acceptor branches.
  • Discovery of these structures in various bacteria and phages, associated with amino acids like serine, histidine, cysteine, and selenocysteine.
  • Demonstration that these novel tRNAs can function as missense, nonsense, or opal suppressors, inserting specific amino acids in response to stop or sense codons.

Conclusions:

  • The findings reveal a greater diversity of tRNA structures than previously known.
  • These novel tRNAs play significant roles in bacterial gene expression, including suppression of translation termination and regulation.
  • The existence of these atypical tRNAs suggests a more flexible and adaptable genetic code in nature.