Kissing stem-loop
A kissing stem-loop, or kissing interaction, is formed in RNA when two bases between two hairpin loops pair. These intra- and intermolecular kissing interactions are important in forming the tertiary or quaternary structure of many RNAs.[1]
RNA kissing interactions, also called loop-loop pseudoknots, occur when the unpaired nucleotides in one hairpin loop, base pair with the unpaired nucleotides in another hairpin loop.[2] When the hairpin loops are located on separate RNA molecules, their intermolecular interaction is called a kissing complex. These interactions generally form between stem-loops. However, stable complexes have been observed containing only two intermolecular Watson–Crick base pairs.[3][4]
Biological significance
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules perform their function in living cells by adopting specific and highly complex 3-dimensional structures. It is believed that recombination may be intitated by the kissing loops. Recombination is critical to successful evolution, especially in the adaptation and survival of viruses.[5][6]
See also
References
- ^ http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/content/12/5/949.full.pdf
- ^ Nowakowski, J.; Tinoco, I.; Jr (1997). "Semin". Virology. 8: 153–165. doi:10.1006/smvy.1997.0118.
- ^ Kim, C. H.; Tinoco, I.; Jr (2000). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 97: 9396–9401. doi:10.1073/pnas.170283697.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Angela A. Andersen and Richard A. Collins. "Intramolecular secondary structure rearrangement by the kissing interaction of the Neurospora VS ribozyme" PNAS 2001; Vol. 98. No. 14. 7735. doi 10.1073/pnas.141039198
- ^ Chen, Yu, and Varani, Gabriele(Jun 2010) RNA Structure. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester.
- ^ "RNA Structure". Encyclopedia of Life Sciences. doi:10.1002/9780470015902.a0001339.pub2.
External links
- http://web.chem.ucsb.edu/~molvisual/large_rna_motifs.html
- Rakotondrafara, AM; Polacek, C; Harris, E; Miller, WA (2006). "Oscillating kissing stem-loop interactions mediate 5' scanning-dependent translation by a viral 3'-cap-independent translation element". RNA. 12: 1893–906. doi:10.1261/rna.115606. PMC 1581982. PMID 16921068.