Lehrstuhl für Biologie der Mikroorganismen, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
RNA Biol. 2010 Jan-Feb;7(1):84-9. doi: 10.4161/rna.7.1.10501. Epub 2010 Jan 1.
Riboswitches and RNA thermometers are built-in sensory elements that control the fate of mRNAs in response to environmental conditions. Both are comprised of complex RNA structures that undergo a conformational change when a certain chemical or physical signal is present. In bacteria, these elements are usually located in the 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR). Typical RNA thermometers control translation initiation of heat shock or virulence genes by forming a secondary structure that traps the ribosome binding site (RBS). An increase in temperature to 37 degrees C (virulence genes) or higher (heat shock genes) destabilizes the structure, liberates the RBS and permits formation of the translation initiation complex. Recent findings suggest that RNA thermometers are more widely used than initially anticipated. The molecular details of selected thermometers and the potential advantage of using such riboregulators will be discussed.
Riboswitches 和 RNA 温度计是内置的感应元件，可根据环境条件控制 mRNA 的命运。它们都由复杂的 RNA 结构组成，当存在特定的化学或物理信号时，这些结构会发生构象变化。在细菌中，这些元件通常位于 5'非翻译区（5'-UTR）。典型的 RNA 温度计通过形成困住核糖体结合位点（RBS）的二级结构来控制热休克或毒力基因的翻译起始。温度升高到 37 摄氏度（毒力基因）或更高（热休克基因）会破坏结构，释放 RBS 并允许翻译起始复合物的形成。最近的研究发现，RNA 温度计的使用比最初预期的更为广泛。本文将讨论选定温度计的分子细节以及使用这种核糖调控因子的潜在优势。
