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RNA structure and the regulation of gene expression

  • RNA Processing and Stability
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Abstract

RNA secondary and tertiary structure is involved in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression either by exposing specific sequences or throught the formation of specific structural motifs. An overview of RNA secondary and tertiary structures known from biophysical studies is followed by a review of examples of the elements of RNA processing, mRNA stability and translation of the messenger. These structural elements comprise sense-antisense double-stranded RNA, hairpin and stem-loop structures, and more complex structures such as bifurcations, pseudoknots and triple-helical elements. Metastable structures formed during RNA folding pathway are also discussed. The examples presented are mostly chosen from plant systems, plant viruses, and viroids. Examples from bacteria or fungi are discussed only when unique regulatory properties of RNA structures have been elucidated in these systems.

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  1. Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Petra Klaff, Detlev Riesner & Gerhard Steger

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  1. Petra Klaff
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  2. Detlev Riesner
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  3. Gerhard Steger
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Klaff, P., Riesner, D. & Steger, G. RNA structure and the regulation of gene expression. Plant Mol Biol 32, 89–106 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00039379

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