Abstract
Changes to the conformation of coding and non-coding RNAs form the basis of elements of genetic regulation and provide an important source of complexity, which drives many of the fundamental processes of life. Although the structure of RNA is highly flexible, the underlying dynamics of RNA are robust and are limited to transitions between the few conformations that preserve favourable base-pairing and stacking interactions. The mechanisms by which cellular processes harness the intrinsic dynamic behaviour of RNA and use it within functionally productive pathways are complex. The versatile functions and ease by which it is integrated into a wide variety of genetic circuits and biochemical pathways suggests there is a general and fundamental role for RNA dynamics in cellular processes.
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Acknowledgements
E.A.D. and J.C. contributed equally to this Review. We thank C. Eichhorn and Q. Zhang for their input and assistance in the preparation of figures, and S. Butcher and S. Serganov for their comments on this Review. A.M.M. is supported by an NSF graduate research fellowship. The authors gratefully acknowledge the Michigan Economic Development Cooperation and the Michigan Technology Tri-Corridor for their support in the purchase of a 600 MHz spectrometer. This work was supported by the US National Institutes of Health (R01 AI066975 and R01 GM089846) and the US National Science Foundation (NSF Career Award CHE-0918817).
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Dethoff, E., Chugh, J., Mustoe, A. et al. Functional complexity and regulation through RNA dynamics. Nature 482, 322–330 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10885
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10885
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