RNA adapts its flexibility to efficiently fold and resist unfolding.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies have demonstrated that the mechanisms through which biopolymers like RNA interconvert between multiple folded structures are critical for their cellular functions. A major obstacle to elucidating these mechanisms is the lack of experimental approaches that can resolve these interconversions between functionally relevant biomolecular structures. Here, we dissect the complete set of structural rearrangements executed by an ultra-stable RNA, the UUCG stem-loop, at the single-molecule level using a nano-electronic device with microsecond time resolution. We show that the stem-loop samples at least four conformations along two folding pathways leading to two distinct folded structures, only one of which has been previously observed. By modulating its flexibility, the stem-loop ca

SUBMITTER: Jang SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12309390 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature