Spontaneous rearrangements in RNA sequences

• Published in: FEBS letters 1999-04, Vol.450 (1), p.89-94
• Main Authors: Chetverina, Helena V, Demidenko, Alexander A, Ugarov, Victor I, Chetverin, Alexander B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3′-OH, 3′-ox and 3′-P fragments, fragments with the unmodified, oxidized or phosphorylated 3′ end, respectively; Allolevivirus - genetics; CAT, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase; DHFR, dihydrofolate reductase; GFP, green fluorescent protein; Kinetics; Magnesium - pharmacology; Molecular colony technique; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Q beta Replicase - genetics; Qβ phage satellite RNA; Qβ replicase; Recombination, Genetic; RNA - chemistry; RNA recombination; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Viral - chemistry; RQ RNA, a Qβ phage satellite RNA replicable by Qβ replicase; Sequence Deletion; Transesterification reaction
• ISSN: 0014-5793; 1873-3468
• DOI: 10.1016/S0014-5793(99)00469-X

The ability of RNAs to spontaneously rearrange their sequences under physiological conditions is demonstrated using the molecular colony technique, which allows single RNA molecules to be detected provided that they are amplifiable by the replicase of bacteriophage Qβ. The rearrangements are Mg 2+-dependent, sequence-non-specific, and occur both in trans and in cis at a rate of 10 −9 h −1 per site. The results suggest that the mechanism of spontaneous RNA rearrangements differs from the transesterification reactions earlier observed in the presence of Qβ replicase, and have a number of biologically important implications.