Liquid-crystal NMR structure of HIV TAR RNA bound to its SELEX RNA aptamer reveals the origins of the high stability of the complex.

ABSTRACT: Transactivation-response element (TAR) is a stable stem-loop structure of HIV RNA, which plays a crucial role during the life cycle of the virus. The apical loop of TAR acts as a binding site for essential cellular cofactors required for the replication of HIV. High-affinity aptamers directed against the apical loop of TAR have been identified by the SELEX approach. The RNA aptamers with the highest affinity for TAR fold as hairpins and form kissing complexes with the targeted RNA through loop-loop interactions. The aptamers with the strongest binding properties all possess a GA base pair combination at the loop-closing position. Using liquid-crystal NMR methodology, we have obtained a structural model in solution of a TAR-aptamer kissing complex with an unprecedented accuracy. This high-r

SUBMITTER: Van Melckebeke H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2453701 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature