Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, 21250, USA.
J Biomol NMR. 2010 Jan;46(1):113-25. doi: 10.1007/s10858-009-9375-2. Epub 2009 Sep 30.
The known biological functions of RNA have expanded in recent years and now include gene regulation, maintenance of sub-cellular structure, and catalysis, in addition to propagation of genetic information. As for proteins, RNA function is tightly correlated with structure. Unlike proteins, structural information for larger, biologically functional RNAs is relatively limited. NMR signal degeneracy, relaxation problems, and a paucity of long-range (1)H-(1)H dipolar contacts have limited the utility of traditional NMR approaches. Selective isotope labeling, including nucleotide-specific and segmental labeling strategies, may provide the best opportunities for obtaining structural information by NMR. Here we review methods that have been developed for preparing and purifying isotopically labeled RNAs, as well as NMR strategies that have been employed for signal assignment and structure determination.
近年来，RNA 的已知生物学功能不断扩展，除了遗传信息的传播外，还包括基因调控、亚细胞结构的维持和催化。对于蛋白质来说，RNA 的功能与其结构密切相关。与蛋白质不同，较大的、具有生物学功能的 RNA 的结构信息相对有限。NMR 信号简并、弛豫问题以及缺乏长程（1）H-（1）H 偶极相互作用限制了传统 NMR 方法的应用。选择性同位素标记，包括核苷酸特异性和片段标记策略，可能为通过 NMR 获得结构信息提供最佳机会。本文综述了用于制备和纯化同位素标记 RNA 的方法，以及用于信号分配和结构确定的 NMR 策略。
