About this Research Topic
This Research Topic is part of a series of collections dedicated to understanding Riboswitches.
Riboswitches, first discovered in 2002, are evolutionarily conserved noncoding segments of mRNA with the ability to act as genetic regulators. Typically, these trans-acting elements changes their native conformation upon binding to small molecules or ligands, triggering a cascade of events that eventually controls protein expression in the cell. Riboswitches either interact with the RNA-polymerase to regulate mRNA production (transcriptional riboswitches) and thereby indirectly regulate protein expression or interact directly with the ribosome to regulate protein production (translational riboswitches). The riboswitches bind to various ligands ranging from small ions to large coenzymes and vary widely in terms of their structure, conformational dynamics, downstream gene expression regulation mechanism etc.
While the structure-function relationship of riboswitch action has been extensively studied over the last decade, more recently they have been identified as suitable targets for bio sensing and even potential targets for therapeutic drugs. Both naturally occurring riboswitches as well as synthetic riboswitches have been used for many such applications including gene expression regulation, antimicrobial targeting, bacterial control, small molecule sensing, to name a few. Riboswitches have the potential to be adopted in various fields including RNA-based personalized medicine in the forcible future.
In this Research Topic we aim to elucidate the importance of riboswitches, in terms of structure, function, and its adoption in nano-biotechnology and medicine.
This Research Topic, focused on structures and functions of riboswitches as well as the possibility of using them in nano-biotechnology applications. Submissions in the form of original research, review articles and perspective are welcomed on these overarching themes. These may include but not limited to the followings:
• Ligand induced structural changes of riboswitches.
• Mechanism of riboswitch mediated gene regulation.
• New computational/ experimental methods for designing synthetic riboswitches or identifying new naturally occurring riboswitches.
• Novel application of riboswitches
Riboswitches, first discovered in 2002, are evolutionarily conserved noncoding segments of mRNA with the ability to act as genetic regulators. Typically, these trans-acting elements changes their native conformation upon binding to small molecules or ligands, triggering a cascade of events that eventually controls protein expression in the cell. Riboswitches either interact with the RNA-polymerase to regulate mRNA production (transcriptional riboswitches) and thereby indirectly regulate protein expression or interact directly with the ribosome to regulate protein production (translational riboswitches). The riboswitches bind to various ligands ranging from small ions to large coenzymes and vary widely in terms of their structure, conformational dynamics, downstream gene expression regulation mechanism etc.
While the structure-function relationship of riboswitch action has been extensively studied over the last decade, more recently they have been identified as suitable targets for bio sensing and even potential targets for therapeutic drugs. Both naturally occurring riboswitches as well as synthetic riboswitches have been used for many such applications including gene expression regulation, antimicrobial targeting, bacterial control, small molecule sensing, to name a few. Riboswitches have the potential to be adopted in various fields including RNA-based personalized medicine in the forcible future.
In this Research Topic we aim to elucidate the importance of riboswitches, in terms of structure, function, and its adoption in nano-biotechnology and medicine.
This Research Topic, focused on structures and functions of riboswitches as well as the possibility of using them in nano-biotechnology applications. Submissions in the form of original research, review articles and perspective are welcomed on these overarching themes. These may include but not limited to the followings:
• Ligand induced structural changes of riboswitches.
• Mechanism of riboswitch mediated gene regulation.
• New computational/ experimental methods for designing synthetic riboswitches or identifying new naturally occurring riboswitches.
• Novel application of riboswitches
Keywords: Riboswitches, RNA, Regulatory, Biosensors, Structure, Mechanisms, Methods, Synthetic Riboswitches
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
