Projects per year
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 |
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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 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Genetics
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'A critical base pair in k-turns determines the conformational class adopted, and correlates with biological function'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 2 Finished
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Dynamics of Eukaryotic Junction-Resolving Enzyme GEN1 - DNA Junction Interactions
Lilley, D. (Investigator)
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
1/10/16 → 30/09/19
Project: Research
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Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer as a Rich Source of Orientational Information in Nucleic Acid Structure
Lilley, D. (Investigator)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
1/09/12 → 30/06/16
Project: Research
Profiles
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Lilley, David
- Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology - Professor of Molecular Biology
Person: Academic