RNA structures and dynamics with Å resolution revealed by x-ray free-electron lasers
Category
Published on
Type
journal-article
Author
Kara A. Zielinski and Shuo Sui and Suzette A. Pabit and Daniel A. Rivera and Tong Wang and Qingyue Hu and Maithri M. Kashipathy and Stella Lisova and Chris B. Schaffer and Valerio Mariani and Mark S. Hunter and Christopher Kupitz and Frank R. Moss and Frédéric P. Poitevin and Thomas D. Grant and Lois Pollack
Citation
Zielinski, K. A., Sui, S., Pabit, S. A., Rivera, D. A., Wang, T., Hu, Q., Kashipathy, M. M., Lisova, S., Schaffer, C. B., Mariani, V., Hunter, M. S., Kupitz, C., Moss, F. R., Poitevin, F. P., Grant, T. D., & Pollack, L. (2023). RNA structures and dynamics with Å resolution revealed by x-ray free-electron lasers. Science Advances, 9(39). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adj3509
Abstract
RNA macromolecules, like proteins, fold to assume shapes that are intimately connected to their broadly recognized biological functions; however, because of their high charge and dynamic nature, RNA structures are far more challenging to determine. We introduce an approach that exploits the high brilliance of x-ray free-electron laser sources to reveal the formation and ready identification of angstrom-scale features in structured and unstructured RNAs. Previously unrecognized structural signatures of RNA secondary and tertiary structures are identified through wide-angle solution scattering experiments. With millisecond time resolution, we observe an RNA fold from a dynamically varying single strand through a base-paired intermediate to assume a triple-helix conformation. While the backbone orchestrates the folding, the final structure is locked in by base stacking. This method may help to rapidly characterize and identify structural elements in nucleic acids in both equilibrium and time-resolved experiments.
