The RNA chaperone StpA enables fast RNA refolding by destabilization of mutually exclusive base pairs within competing secondary structure elements.

ABSTRACT: In bacteria RNA gene regulatory elements refold dependent on environmental clues between two or more long-lived conformational states each associated with a distinct regulatory state. The refolding kinetics are strongly temperature-dependent and especially at lower temperatures they reach timescales that are biologically not accessible. To overcome this problem, RNA chaperones have evolved. However, the precise molecular mechanism of how these proteins accelerate RNA refolding reactions remains enigmatic. Here we show how the RNA chaperone StpA of Escherichia coli leads to an acceleration of a bistable RNA's refolding kinetics through the selective destabilization of key base pairing interactions. We find in laser assisted real-time NMR experiments on photocaged bistable RNAs that the RNA

SUBMITTER: Hohmann KF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8565331 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature