Probing RNA Structure by Lead Cleavage

Cleavage of tRNA with imidazole and spermine imidazole constructs: a new approach for probing RNA structure.

Hydrolysis of RNA in imidazole buffer and by spermine-imidazole conjugates has been investigated. The RNA models were yeast tRNA(Asp) and a transcript derived from the 3'-terminal sequence of tobacco mosaic virus RNA representing a minihelix capable of being enzymatically aminoacylated with histidine. Imidazole buffer and spermine-imidazole conjugates in the presence of free imidazole cleave ph...

Lead(II) as a Tool for Probing RNA Structure in vivo

Lead-catalyzed cleavage of ribonuclease P RNA as a probe for integrity of tertiary structure.

Pb(2+)-catalyzed cleavage of RNA has been shown previously to be a useful probe for tertiary structure. In the present study, Pb2+ cleavage patterns were identified for ribonuclease P RNAs from three phylogenetically disparate organisms, Escherichia coli, Chromatium vinosum, Bacillus subtilis, and for E. coli RNase P RNAs that had been altered by deletions. Each of the native RNAs undergoes cle...

Current perspectives on RNA secondary structure probing

The range of roles played by structured RNAs in biological systems is vast. At the same time as we are learning more about the importance of RNA structure, recent advances in reagents, methods and technology mean that RNA secondary structural probing has become faster and more accurate. As a result, the capabilities of laboratories that already perform this type of structural analysis have incr...

Enzymatic Cleavage of RNA by RNA

The transfer of genetic information from nucleic acid to protein inside cells can be re, presented as shown in Fig. 1. This simple scheme reflects accurately the fact that the information contained in the linear arrangement of the nucleotides in DNA is copied accurately into the linear arrangement of nucleotides in RNA which, in turn, is translated by machinery inside the cell into proteins, th...