Exceptionally stable nucleic acid hairpins

G Varani - Annual review of biophysics and biomolecular …, 1995 - annualreviews.org
Annual review of biophysics and biomolecular structure, 1995annualreviews.org
Hairpins represent the dominant secondary structure element in RNA. Certain sequences
are found with exceptional frequency in many RNAs and are characterized by exceptionally
high thermodynamic stability. Stable RNA hairpins define nucleation sites for folding,
determine ter tiary interactions in RNA enzymes, protect mRNAs from degradation, and are
recognized by RNA-binding proteins. The structures of several stable DNA and RNA
hairpins have revealed networks of stabilizing interactions within the hairpin loop: non …
Abstract
Hairpins represent the dominant secondary structure element in RNA. Certain sequences are found with exceptional frequency in many RNAs and are characterized by exceptionally high thermodynamic stability. Stable RNA hairpins define nucleation sites for folding, determine ter tiary interactions in RNA enzymes, protect mRNAs from degradation, and are recognized by RNA-binding proteins. The structures of several stable DNA and RNA hairpins have revealed networks of stabilizing interactions within the hairpin loop: non-Watson-Crick base pairs and base-phosphate and base-sugar contacts. The unusual stability of these structural elements can be used to stabilize RNA and DNA structures
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