Riboswitches are RNA gene-control structures commonly found in the 5′ untranslated regions (UTRs) of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) where they sense and respond to small molecule or ion ligands. In most instances, binding of a target ligand to the aptamer domain of the riboswitch triggers changes in the folding pattern of the expression platform, , which alters the level of gene expression by one or more of many possible mechanisms. Several diverse mechanisms for riboswitch-mediated gene regulation have been established , and herein I will focus primarily on the mechanisms that more directly involve the regulation of mRNA translation. A growing collection of bacterial riboswitch classes is being discovered that sense central metabolites, coenzymes, and signaling molecules. Included among the various mechanisms of gene regulation exploited by these RNA regulatory elements are several that modulate messenger RNA (mRNA) translation. Here you can see a recent example of a riboswitch from Streptococcus bacteria, which is able to sense adenosine nucleotides. The structure of the riboswitch in complex with NAD cofactor has been determined by X-ray (PDB code: 8GXB)
#molecularart ... #immolecular ... #riboswtich ... #ribozyme ... #sensor ... #cofactor ... #NAD ... #xray
Structure rendered with @proteinimaging and depicted with @corelphotopaint
#molecularart ... #immolecular ... #riboswtich ... #ribozyme ... #sensor ... #cofactor ... #NAD ... #xray
Structure rendered with @proteinimaging and depicted with @corelphotopaint
