title: RNA seeing double: close-packing of helices in RNA tertiary structure.
abstract: Structured RNA molecules play essential roles in RNA processing, chromosome maintenance and protein biosynthesis. RNA necessarily uses different strategies than proteins for folding and assembly of complex architectures. The RNA-folding problem is largely an issue of helical packing: how does RNA organize and pack short, double-helical segments to produce active sites and recognition motifs for proteins? Noncanonical base pairs, metal ions and 2'-hydroxyl groups are key elements in RNA higher-order structure formation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Strobel
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Doudna
mesh_terms: D001482:Base Composition; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D012313:RNA