Nexus between RNA conformational dynamics and functional versatility
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Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Nanomanipulation of Single RNA Molecules by Optical Tweezers
Published on: August 20, 2014
1Protein-Nucleic Acid Interaction Section, Center for Structural Biology, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
Abstract:
RNA conformational dynamics is pivotal for functional regulations in biology. RNA can function as versatile as protein but adopts multiple distinct structures. In this review, we provide a focused review of the recent advances in studies of RNA conformational dynamics and address some of the misconceptions about RNA structure and its conformational dynamics. We discuss why the traditional methods for structure determination come up short in describing RNA conformational space. The examples discussed provide illustrations of the structure-based mechanisms of RNAs with diverse roles, including viral, long noncoding, and catalytic RNAs, one of which focuses on the debated area of conformational heterogeneity of an RNA structural element in the HIV-1 genome.
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