Structural Traps as RNA Therapeutics

RNA是细胞中的一种分子，它可以传递DNA的密码来制造蛋白质。一些病毒，如艾滋病毒和流感病毒，用它代替DNA作为它们的遗传物质。与DNA不同，RNA可以非常显著地改变其形状，这使得它可以与细胞中许多不同的蛋白质相互作用。如果我们能够将RNA锁定在一个特定的形状上，它就无法与一些蛋白质结合，而这些蛋白质是它完成所有功能所必需的。我们现在有复杂的计算机程序，可以生成RNA经过的结构模型，这些模型可以通过化学实验进行测试。一旦我们知道了RNA的形状，我们就可以从已知结构的化学物质库中，选择最适合RNA结构的化学物质。这有望防止RNA再次改变形状。使用这种方法，我们认为我们可能有一种新的方法来发现阻止艾滋病毒、肝炎和流感等病毒繁殖的药物。如果这项工作取得成功，它也可能对脑膜炎和结核病等其他感染有帮助，最终甚至可能应用于癌症治疗。

RNA is the molecule in the cell which can transfer the code of DNA to make proteins. Some viruses like HIV and flu use it as their genetic material instead of DNA. Unlike DNA, RNA can change its shape very significantly and this allows it to interact with many different proteins in the cell. If we were able to lock the RNA in one particular shape it would not be able to bind on to to some of the proteins it needs to fulfil all of its functions. We now have sophisticated computer programmes which can generate models of the structures that RNA goes through and these models can be tested by chemical experiments. Once we know the shape of the RNA we can choose, from a library of chemicals whose structure we know, which of them best fits into the RNA structure. This will hopefully prevent the RNA from changing shape again. Using this approach we think we may have a new way of finding drugs which stop viruses like HIV, hepatitis and flu from multiplying. If the work is successful this might also be useful for other infections like meningitis and TB and might eventually even have applications in cancer treatment.