X-ray crystallographic structure analysis of the RNA thermometer ROSE and the preQ1-specific riboswitch

调节性RNA在生命的所有三个王国中都很常见。核糖开关主要位于信使RNA的非编码区。它们以非常高的亲和力结合代谢物，导致形成稳定的RNA折叠并控制与相应的RNA结合代谢物相关的蛋白质的表达。核糖开关的一个特殊家族是RNA温度计，其以温度依赖的方式调节基因表达。我们的工作将集中在RNA温度计ROSE的晶体结构测定上，该温度计控制许多细菌中小的热休克蛋白的表达。我们还将确定前Q1特异性核糖开关的晶体结构，该核糖开关控制编码参与高度修饰的tRNA-核苷肌苷生物合成的酶的基因的表达。这种已知的最小的核糖开关特别令人感兴趣，因为它可能代表了RNA与核碱基特异性结合的最小结构基序。

Regulatory RNAs are common to all three kingdoms of life. Riboswitches are mostly located in the non-coding regions of messenger RNAs. They bind metabolites with very high affinity leading to the formation of a stable RNA fold and the control of the expression of proteins related to the corresponding RNA-binding metabolite. A special family of riboswitches are RNA thermometers which regulate gene expression in a temperature-dependent fashion. Our work will focus on the crystal structure determination of the RNA thermometer ROSE, which controls the expression of small heat shock proteins in many bacteria. We also will determine the crystal structure of the preQ1-specific riboswitch, which controls the expression of genes encoding enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of the hypermodified tRNA-nucleoside queuosine. This smallest known riboswitch is of particular interest, as it might represent the minimal structural motif for the specific binding of a nucleobase by RNA.