RNA Puts Proteins in a Headlock

WIKIMEDIA, DR. RICHARD FELDMANNThe small RNA RsmZ is known to sequester proteins that repress translation in bacteria. A study published in Nature this month (May 14), uncovered the sponge-like ability of the RNA to soak up multiple repressor proteins.

Compared to proteins, the structures of RNA and RNA-protein complexes have been more difficult to determine. The authors, based at ETH Zurich, used a protocol, detailed in a separate Nature Communications paper, combining nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine the structure of the complex. It’s a “very powerful” tool, Hashim Al-Hashimi, a biochemistry professor at Duke University School of Medicine who was not involved in the work, told Chemical & Engineering News.

According to the news report, the researchers used NMR to determine the structure of the RNA bound to a single repressor protein. Pairing that with electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, the researchers ascertained...