8-oxoguanine riboswitches in bacteria detect and respond to oxidative DNA damage.

ABSTRACT: Riboswitches rely on structured aptamer domains to selectively sense their target ligands and regulate gene expression. However, some riboswitch aptamers in bacteria carry mutations in their otherwise strictly conserved binding pockets that change ligand specificities. The aptamer domain of a riboswitch class originally found to selectively sense guanine forms a three-stem junction that has since been observed to exploit numerous alterations in its ligand-binding pocket. These rare variants have modified their ligand specificities to sense other purines or purine derivatives, including adenine, 2'-deoxyguanosine (three classes), and xanthine. Herein, we report the characteristics of a rare variant that is narrowly distributed in the Paenibacillaceae family of bacteria. Known represe

SUBMITTER: Hamal Dhakal S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10556655 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature