Structural characterization of RNA and the spectral changes that accompany ligand binding, detected by MMS

Riboswitches are small, well-folded mRNA sequences that control the translation of specific mRNA segments for regulation of protein production. Each riboswitch has a unique small molecule that induces structural changes upon binding and results in activation of the riboswitch. In this study, we used MMS and SPR to characterize the structure change associated with ligand binding and determine the disassociation constant, or K_D. The combination of techniques provides a better overall understanding of not only binding affinity, but also structure change associated with binding. This technique can be useful in the development of novel small molecular RNA regulators for therapeutic purposes.

‍Learning Objectives:  

• Gain deeper understanding of RNA/small molecule binding affinity
• Explore complementary, novel techniques for characterizing RNA structure change due to ligand binding
• Understand the utility of determining K_D in the development of therapeutic RNA
• Overview of the fundamentals of MMS
• Discover the advantages of MMS over traditional spectroscopic techniques for new applications in next-gen biopharma development