Abstract
k-turns are commonly-occurring motifs that introduce sharp kinks into duplex RNA, thereby facilitating tertiary contacts. Both the folding and conformation of k-turns are determined by their local sequence. k-turns fall into two conformational classes, called N3 and N1, that differ in the pattern of hydrogen bonding in the core. We show here that this is determined by the basepair adjacent to the critical G•A pairs. We determined crystal structures of a series of Kt-7 variants in which this 3b,3n position has been systematically varied, showing that this leads to a switch in the conformation. We have previously shown that the 3b,3n position also determines the folding characteristics of the k-turn, i.e. whether or not the k-turn can fold in the presence of metal ions alone. We have analyzed the distribution of 3b,3n sequences from four classes of k-turns from ribosomes, riboswitches and U4 snRNA, finding a strong conservation of properties for a given k-turn type. We thus demonstrate a strong association between biological function, 3b,3n sequence and k-turn folding and conformation. This has strong predictive power, and can be applied to the modeling of large RNA architectures.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 5390-5398 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Nucleic Acids Research |
Volume | 44 |
Issue number | 11 |
Early online date | 26 Mar 2016 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 20 Jun 2016 |
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A critical base pair in k-turns determines the conformational class adopted, and correlates with biological function. / Huang, Lin; Wang, Jia; Lilley, David M J (Lead / Corresponding author).
In: Nucleic Acids Research, Vol. 44, No. 11, 20.06.2016, p. 5390-5398.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - A critical base pair in k-turns determines the conformational class adopted, and correlates with biological function
AU - Huang, Lin
AU - Wang, Jia
AU - Lilley, David M J
PY - 2016/6/20
Y1 - 2016/6/20
N2 - k-turns are commonly-occurring motifs that introduce sharp kinks into duplex RNA, thereby facilitating tertiary contacts. Both the folding and conformation of k-turns are determined by their local sequence. k-turns fall into two conformational classes, called N3 and N1, that differ in the pattern of hydrogen bonding in the core. We show here that this is determined by the basepair adjacent to the critical G•A pairs. We determined crystal structures of a series of Kt-7 variants in which this 3b,3n position has been systematically varied, showing that this leads to a switch in the conformation. We have previously shown that the 3b,3n position also determines the folding characteristics of the k-turn, i.e. whether or not the k-turn can fold in the presence of metal ions alone. We have analyzed the distribution of 3b,3n sequences from four classes of k-turns from ribosomes, riboswitches and U4 snRNA, finding a strong conservation of properties for a given k-turn type. We thus demonstrate a strong association between biological function, 3b,3n sequence and k-turn folding and conformation. This has strong predictive power, and can be applied to the modeling of large RNA architectures.
AB - k-turns are commonly-occurring motifs that introduce sharp kinks into duplex RNA, thereby facilitating tertiary contacts. Both the folding and conformation of k-turns are determined by their local sequence. k-turns fall into two conformational classes, called N3 and N1, that differ in the pattern of hydrogen bonding in the core. We show here that this is determined by the basepair adjacent to the critical G•A pairs. We determined crystal structures of a series of Kt-7 variants in which this 3b,3n position has been systematically varied, showing that this leads to a switch in the conformation. We have previously shown that the 3b,3n position also determines the folding characteristics of the k-turn, i.e. whether or not the k-turn can fold in the presence of metal ions alone. We have analyzed the distribution of 3b,3n sequences from four classes of k-turns from ribosomes, riboswitches and U4 snRNA, finding a strong conservation of properties for a given k-turn type. We thus demonstrate a strong association between biological function, 3b,3n sequence and k-turn folding and conformation. This has strong predictive power, and can be applied to the modeling of large RNA architectures.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84976359035&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/nar/gkw201
DO - 10.1093/nar/gkw201
M3 - Article
C2 - 27016741
AN - SCOPUS:84976359035
VL - 44
SP - 5390
EP - 5398
JO - Nucleic Acids Research
JF - Nucleic Acids Research
SN - 0305-1048
IS - 11
ER -