Rules Governing RNA's Anatomy Revealed : Uni Michigan

[Celvin11]

University of Michigan: Rules Governing RNA's Anatomy Revealed

09 Jan 2010

University of Michigan researchers have discovered the rules that dictate the three-dimensional shapes of RNA molecules, rules that are based not on complex chemical interactions but simply on geometry.

The work, done by a team led by Hashim M. Al-Hashimi, is described in the Jan. 8, 2010, issue of the journal Science.

More http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/175478.php

[Celvin11]

Re: Rules Governing RNA's Anatomy Revealed : Uni Michigan

Science Magazine

Free abstract of story http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/conten...t/327/5962/202

Topology Links RNA Secondary Structure with Global Conformation, Dynamics, and Adaptation

Maximillian H. Bailor, Xiaoyan Sun, Hashim M. Al-Hashimi

Thermodynamic rules that link RNA sequences to secondary structure are well established, but the link between secondary structure and three-dimensional global conformation remains poorly understood. We constructed comprehensive three-dimensional maps depicting the orientation of A-form helices across RNA junctions in the Protein Data Bank and rationalized our findings with modeling and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

We show that the secondary structures of junctions encode readily computable topological constraints that accurately predict the three-dimensional orientation of helices across all two-way junctions. Our results suggest that RNA global conformation is largely defined by topological constraints encoded at the secondary structural level and that tertiary contacts and intermolecular interactions serve to stabilize specific conformers within the topologically allowed ensemble.

[gsgs]

Re: Rules Governing RNA's Anatomy Revealed : Uni Michigan

I don't understand


what/where are the junctions

topology is not determined by chemistry ??