smFRET; NMR; Coordination Chemistry; Ribozymes; Riboswitches; Metal Ions; Regulatory RNA
Steffen Fabio D., Khier Mokrane, Kowerko Danny, Cunha Richard A., Börner Richard, Sigel Roland K. O. (2020), Metal ions and sugar puckering balance single-molecule kinetic heterogeneity in RNA and DNA tertiary contacts, in
Nature Communications, 11(1), 104-104.
Freisinger Eva, Sigel Roland K.O. (2019), The Bioinorganic Periodic Table, in
CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry, 73(3), 185-193.
Erat Michèle C., Besic Emina, Oberhuber Michael, Johannsen Silke, Sigel Roland K. O. (2018), Specific phosphorothioate substitution within domain 6 of a group II intron ribozyme leads to changes in local structure and metal ion binding, in
JBIC Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, 23(1), 167-177.
Palou-Mir Joana, Barceló-Oliver Miquel, Sigel Roland K. O. (2017), The Role of Lead(II) in Nucleic Acids, in Sigel Roland K.O., Sigel Astrid, Sigel Helmut (ed.), De Gruyter, Berlin, Boston, 403-434.
Cao Qian, Li Yi, Freisinger Eva, Qin Peter Z., Sigel Roland K. O., Mao Zong-Wan (2017), G-quadruplex DNA targeted metal complexes acting as potential anticancer drugs, in
Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers, 4(1), 10-32.
Pechlaner M., Dominguez-Martin A., Sigel R. K. O. (2017), Influence of pH and Mg( ii ) on the catalytic core domain 5 of a bacterial group II intron, in
Dalton Transactions, 46(12), 3989-3995.
Guiset Miserachs Helena, Donghi Daniela, Börner Richard, Johannsen Silke, Sigel Roland K. O. (2016), Distinct differences in metal ion specificity of RNA and DNA G-quadruplexes, in
JBIC Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, 21(8), 975-986.
Börner Richard, Kowerko Danny, Miserachs Helena Guiset, Schaffer Michelle F., Sigel Roland K.O. (2016), Metal ion induced heterogeneity in RNA folding studied by smFRET, in
Coordination Chemistry Reviews, 327-328, 123-142.
Schaffer Michelle, Peng Guanya, Spingler Bernhard, Schnabl Joachim, Wang Meitian, Olieric Vincent, Sigel Roland (2016), The X-ray Structures of Six Octameric RNA Duplexes in the Presence of Different Di- and Trivalent Cations, in
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 17(7), 988-988.
RNAs play crucial roles in cellular metabolism. Regulatory RNAs thereby control uncountable processes in all kingdoms of life, e.g. protein expression and transport or the cell cycle, mostly on the transcriptional or the translational level. Folding, structure, and activity of any RNA are guided tightly by metal ions, in some instances also in combination with proteins. In the case of some riboswitches, metal-based metabolites, e.g., adenosyl cobalamin (AdoCbl) or molybdenum cofactor (Moco), specifically bind and switch the RNA structure. Switching, folding, structure, and catalysis of RNAs are extremely sensitive to changes in concentration and nature of the metal ion(s) (complexes). Recognition of the metal ions or its complex is thereby solely driven by coordination chemical principles. The goal of this project is to understand the structure-function relationship under control of metal ions of four key RNAs: (i) the bacterial Moco riboswitch, (ii) an oncogenic RNA G-quadruplex, (iii) the mammalian CPEB3 ribozyme, and (iv) a self-splicing group II intron. The combination of biochemical tools, coordination chemistry, biomolecular NMR spectroscopy, and single molecule (sm)FRET provides a unique and exceptional possibility to understand such complex RNAs in detail with respect to structure, thermodynamic and kinetic. This project is located in the classical field of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, but also has a great impact on RNA Biochemistry, Structural Biology, and Medicinal Chemistry.