6q8u

Publication Abstract from PubMed

N(6)-methyladenine is the most common covalent modification in cellular RNA species, with demonstrated functional consequences. At the molecular level this methylation could alter local RNA structure, and/or modulate the binding of specific proteins. We have previously shown that trans-Hoogsteen-sugar (sheared) A:G base pairs can be completely disrupted by methylation, and that this occurs in a sub-set ofD/D k-turn structures. In this work we have investigated to what extent sequence context affects the severity with which inclusion of N(6)-methyladenine into different A:G base pairs of a standard k-turn affects RNA folding and L7Ae protein binding. We find that local sequence has a major influence, ranging from complete absence of folding and protein binding to a relatively mild effect. We have determined the crystal structure of one of these species both free and protein-bound, showing the environment of the methyl group and the way the modification is accommodated into the k-turn structure.

Effect of methylation of adenine N(6) on kink turn structure depends on location.,Ashraf S, Huang L, Lilley DMJ RNA Biol. 2019 Jun 24:1-9. doi: 10.1080/15476286.2019.1630797. PMID:31234702^[2]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.