Nucleotides adjacent to the ligand-binding pocket are linked to activity tuning in the purine riboswitch.

ABSTRACT: Direct sensing of intracellular metabolite concentrations by riboswitch RNAs provides an economical and rapid means to maintain metabolic homeostasis. Since many organisms employ the same class of riboswitch to control different genes or transcription units, it is likely that functional variation exists in riboswitches such that activity is tuned to meet cellular needs. Using a bioinformatic approach, we have identified a region of the purine riboswitch aptamer domain that displays conservation patterns linked to riboswitch activity. Aptamer domain compositions within this region can be divided into nine classes that display a spectrum of activities. Naturally occurring compositions in this region favor rapid association rate constants and slow dissociation rate constants for ligand bindin

SUBMITTER: Stoddard CD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3769107 | biostudies-literature | 2013 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature