STRUCTURAL STUDIES OF RIBOSWITCHES

该子项目是利用该技术的众多研究子项目之一 资源由 NIH/NCRR 资助的中心拨款提供。子项目及 研究者 (PI) 可能已从 NIH 的另一个来源获得主要资金， 因此可以在其他 CRISP 条目中表示。列出的机构是 对于中心来说，它不一定是研究者的机构。 细菌中许多基因的表达可以通过代谢分子来控制，而无需初始蛋白质的参与。然而，多年来这种监管机制并不明确。最近，一些实验室发现小代谢物直接与 mRNA 的 5 个区域相互作用，调节 RNA 结构并影响靶基因的表达。现在描述了原核生物中的许多基因和真核生物中的一些基因的这种新型基因表达控制，并且与辅酶、核碱基、氨基酸和糖的结合有关。代谢物传感 RNA 区域（称为核糖开关）由配体结合域和表达平台组成，其中包含参与基因表达的 RNA 元件。然后，通过表达平台解释与代谢物结合相关的构象转变，从而对翻译或转录水平进行调节。我们的研究工作集中在游离和结合状态下的代谢物传感模块的结构，以更好地理解表达平台利用构象转变进行基因表达的变构调节。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Expression of many genes in bacteria can be controlled by metabolite molecules without initial protein participation. However, mechanism of such regulation was not clear for many years. Recently several laboratories discovered that small metabolites directly interact with the 5 regions of mRNAs, modulate RNA structures and affect expression of the target genes. Such new type of gene expression control is now described for many genes in prokaryotes and some genes in eukaryotes and is associated with binding of coenzymes, nucleobases, aminoacids, and sugars. The metabolite-sensing RNA regions, termed riboswitches, are composed of a ligand-binding domain and expression platform that contains RNA elements involved in gene expression. The conformational transitions associated with metabolite binding are then interpreted through the expression platforms leading to regulation on the levels of either translation or transcription.Our research efforts are focused on the structures of the metabolite-sensing modules in the free and bound states, towards an improved understanding of the conformational transitions harnessed by the expression platforms for allosteric modulation of gene expression.