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Updated: Jan 27, 2026

RNA Secondary Structure Prediction Using High-throughput SHAPE
Published on: May 31, 2013
Behavior of random RNA secondary structures near the glass transition
William D Baez1, Kay Jörg Wiese2, Ralf Bundschuh3
1Department of Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210.
Abstract:
RNA forms elaborate secondary structures through intramolecular base pairing. These structures perform critical biological functions within each cell. Due to the availability of a polynomial algorithm to calculate the partition function over these structures, they are also a suitable system for the statistical physics of disordered systems. In this model, below the denaturation temperature, random RNA secondary structures exist in one of two phases: a strongly disordered, low-temperature glass phase and a weakly disordered, high-temperature molten phase. The probability of two bases to pair decays with their distance with an exponent 3/2 in the molten phase and about 4/3 in the glass phase. Inspired by previous results from a renormalized field theory of the glass transition separating the two phases, we numerically study this transition. We introduce distinct order parameters for each phase that both vanish at the critical point. We finally explore the driving mechanism behind this transition.
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