A statistical test for conserved RNA structure shows lack of evidence for structure in lncRNAs.

ABSTRACT: Many functional RNAs have an evolutionarily conserved secondary structure. Conservation of RNA base pairing induces pairwise covariations in sequence alignments. We developed a computational method, R-scape (RNA Structural Covariation Above Phylogenetic Expectation), that quantitatively tests whether covariation analysis supports the presence of a conserved RNA secondary structure. R-scape analysis finds no statistically significant support for proposed secondary structures of the long noncoding RNAs HOTAIR, SRA, and Xist.

SUBMITTER: Rivas E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5554622 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature