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Using synthetic RNAs as scaffolds and regulators

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology volume 22, pages 8–10 (2015)Cite this article

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Abstract

The natural versatility of RNA makes it an ideal substrate for bioengineering. Its structural properties and predictable base-pairing permit its use as molecular scaffold, and its ability to interact with nucleic acids, proteins and small molecules confers a regulatory potential that can be harvested to design RNA regulators in diverse contexts.

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Figure 1: RNA structures produced to date and examples of reactions that they have been used to catalyze.
Figure 2: Mechanisms and applications of synthetic-RNA regulation.

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Acknowledgements

We thank L. Liu, S. Hays and R. Chang for feedback while writing this commentary. Some of the work described here was funded by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency award HR0011-12-C-0061 to P.A.S. C.M. is funded by the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cameron Myhrvold and Pamela A. Silver are at the Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,

    Cameron Myhrvold & Pamela A Silver

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  1. Cameron Myhrvold
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  2. Pamela A Silver
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Correspondence to Cameron Myhrvold or Pamela A Silver.

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Myhrvold, C., Silver, P. Using synthetic RNAs as scaffolds and regulators. Nat Struct Mol Biol 22, 8–10 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.2944

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