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Updated: Jun 22, 2025

Analyzing and Building Nucleic Acid Structures with 3DNA
Published on: April 26, 2013
RNA structure determination: From 2D to 3D
Jie Deng1, Xianyang Fang2,3, Lin Huang1
1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510120, China.
Abstract:
RNA molecules serve a wide range of functions that are closely linked to their structures. The basic structural units of RNA consist of single- and double-stranded regions. In order to carry out advanced functions such as catalysis and ligand binding, certain types of RNAs can adopt higher-order structures. The analysis of RNA structures has progressed alongside advancements in structural biology techniques, but it comes with its own set of challenges and corresponding solutions. In this review, we will discuss recent advances in RNA structure analysis techniques, including structural probing methods, X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, cryo-electron microscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering. Often, a combination of multiple techniques is employed for the integrated analysis of RNA structures. We also survey important RNA structures that have been recently determined using various techniques.
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