Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 18, 2026
09:04
Sequence-specific and Selective Recognition of Double-stranded RNAs over Single-stranded RNAs by Chemically Modified Peptide Nucleic Acids
Published on: September 21, 2017
10.0K
Characterizing the Structure-Function Relationship of a Naturally Occurring RNA Thermometer
Sarai Meyer1, Paul D Carlson1, Julius B Lucks2
1Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University , 120 Olin Hall, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States.
Biochemistry
|November 28, 2017
Summary
Bacterial RNA thermometers, like the agsA thermometer in Salmonella, control heat shock responses. This study reveals how subtle RNA structure changes and ribosome binding unwind the agsA thermometer helix to regulate gene expression.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- RNA Biology
Background:
- Bacteria utilize RNA thermometers to regulate gene expression in response to temperature changes.
- The agsA thermometer in Salmonella enterica employs a "fourU" motif to control AgsA heat shock protein production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the structural mechanisms underlying the function of the agsA RNA thermometer.
- To elucidate how RNA structure dynamics and ribosome interactions regulate gene expression.
Main Methods:
- Utilized SHAPE-Seq RNA structure probing both in vivo and in vitro.
- Analyzed structural changes in the agsA thermometer and its interaction with ribosomes.
Main Results:
- Identified a subtle shift in RNA structure equilibrium that partially melts the helix near the ribosome binding site.
- Demonstrated that ribosome binding to agsA mRNA promotes thermometer helix unwinding.
Conclusions:
- Subtle RNA structural dynamics are crucial for bacterial gene regulation.
- The agsA thermometer's function is modulated by both temperature-induced structural changes and ribosome interactions, highlighting an important bacterial regulatory mechanism.
Related Concept Videos
01:19RNA Structure
7.8K
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.
Different Types of RNA Have the Same Basic Structure
There are three main types of ribonucleic acid (RNA) involved in protein synthesis: messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). All three...
Different Types of RNA Have the Same Basic Structure
There are three main types of ribonucleic acid (RNA) involved in protein synthesis: messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). All three...
7.8K
01:23RNA Structure
79.3K
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.
Different Types of RNA Have the Same Basic Structure
There are three main types of ribonucleic acid (RNA): messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). All three RNA types consist of a...
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.
Different Types of RNA Have the Same Basic Structure
There are three main types of ribonucleic acid (RNA): messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). All three RNA types consist of a...
79.3K
01:29Translational Regulation
691
Translational regulation in prokaryotes ensures efficient protein synthesis by controlling ribosome access to mRNA. This regulation is mediated by secondary RNA structures, including translational riboswitches, RNA thermometers, and small RNAs (sRNAs), which respond to intracellular and environmental signals to modulate gene expression.Translational RiboswitchesRiboswitches in the leader region of mRNAs can regulate translation by altering the accessibility of the Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence,...
691
01:25Nucleic Acid Structure
9.6K
The pentose sugar in DNA is deoxyribose, while in RNA the pentose sugar is ribose. The difference between the sugars is the presence of the hydroxyl group on the ribose's second carbon and a hydrogen on the deoxyribose's second carbon. The phosphate residue attaches to the hydroxyl group of the 5′ carbon of one sugar and the hydroxyl group of the 3′ carbon of the sugar of the next nucleotide, which forms a 5′ to 3′ phosphodiester linkage.
DNA Structure
DNA...
DNA Structure
DNA...
9.6K
02:57Real Time RT-PCR
65.5K
Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, or Real-time RT-PCR, is an analytical tool used to determine the expression level of target genes. The method involves converting mRNA to complementary DNA with the help of an enzyme known as reverse transcriptase, followed by the PCR amplification of the cDNA. These two processes can be performed simultaneously in a single tube or separately as a two-step reaction.
The real-time quantification of the number of amplified products is...
The real-time quantification of the number of amplified products is...
65.5K
01:23Transcriptional Regulation: Riboswitches
809
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...
809