Challenges of ligand identification for the second wave of orphan riboswitch candidates.

ABSTRACT: Orphan riboswitch candidates are noncoding RNA motifs whose representatives are believed to function as genetic regulatory elements, but whose target ligands have yet to be identified. The study of certain orphans, particularly classes that have resisted experimental validation for many years, has led to the discovery of important biological pathways and processes once their ligands were identified. Previously, we highlighted details for four of the most common and intriguing orphan riboswitch candidates. This facilitated the validation of riboswitches for the signaling molecules c-di-AMP, ZTP, and ppGpp, the metal ion Mn²⁺, and the metabolites guanidine and PRPP. Such studies also yield useful linkages between the ligands sensed by the riboswitches and numerous biochemical path

SUBMITTER: Greenlee EB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5927730 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature