A single natural RNA modification can destabilize a U•A-T-rich RNA•DNA-DNA triple helix.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies suggest noncoding RNAs interact with genomic DNA, forming RNA•DNA-DNA triple helices, as a mechanism to regulate transcription. One way cells could regulate the formation of these triple helices is through RNA modifications. With over 140 naturally occurring RNA modifications, we hypothesize that some modifications stabilize RNA•DNA-DNA triple helices while others destabilize them. Here, we focus on a pyrimidine-motif triple helix composed of canonical U•A-T and C•G-C base triples. We employed electrophoretic mobility shift assays and microscale thermophoresis to examine how 11 different RNA modifications at a single position in an RNA•DNA-DNA triple helix affect stability: 5-methylcytidine (m⁵C), 5-methyluridine (m⁵U or rT), 3-methyluridine (m³

SUBMITTER: Kunkler CN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9380742 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature