Group I introns and RNA folding.
Before the discovery of catalytic RNA, tRNA molecules were the most studied RNA molecules for understanding RNA folding. Afterwards, group I introns, because of their stability and the fact that structural folding could be monitored by following their catalytic activity, became the molecule of choice for studying RNA architecture and folding. A major advantage of group I introns for studying the catalytic activity of RNA molecules is that catalytic activity is triggered by the addition of external guanosine cofactors. The self-splicing activity can therefore be precisely controlled. Using group I introns, several RNA motifs central to RNA-RNA self-assembly and folding were discovered. The analysis of the recent X-ray structures of the rRNA subunits indicates that several motifs present in the ribosome occur also in various group I introns.
Westhof
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Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du CNRS, 15 rue R. Descartes, F-67084 Strasbourg, France. E.Westhof@ibmc.u-strasbg.fr
D001483:Base Sequence; D007438:Introns; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D012326:RNA Splicing; D016337:RNA, Catalytic
D016337:RNA, Catalytic; D012313:RNA