Download MendeleyStructural insights into higher-order natural RNA-only multimers.
Zhang, S., Yi, R., An, L., Liu, J., Yao, X., Li, S., Zhang, K.(2025) Nat Struct Mol Biol
- PubMed: 40770114
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-025-01650-1
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
9LE3, 9LE5, 9LE6, 9LEC, 9LEE, 9LEL, 9LEM, 9LHK, 9LHL, 9M78, 9M79 - PubMed Abstract:
RNA-only complexes adopt intricate three-dimensional structures to fulfill diverse functions independently of protein partners. Although multimeric RNA-only structures have been engineered in synthetic RNA nanomaterials, naturally occurring RNA-only complexes have primarily been observed as monomers or dimers, leaving higher-order assemblies largely unexplored. ROOL (rumen-originating, ornate, large) and GOLLD (giant, ornate, lake- and Lactobacillales-derived) RNAs are conserved non-coding RNAs with complex secondary structures, but their high-resolution architectures remain unknown. Here, we determine the cryo-electron microscopy structures of UCC118-Rool RNA, Sag-Golld RNA and Env38-Golld RNA at 1.96-2.98 Å resolution, revealing their distinct hexameric, decameric and tetradecameric assemblies. These higher-order architectures are stabilized by an array of tertiary motifs such as kissing loops and tetraloop-receptor motifs, underscoring the conserved principles of RNA self-assembly. By elucidating the molecular details of these higher-order RNA-only assemblies, this study expands our understanding of RNA-based architectures and broadens the scope of RNA structural biology.
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, The RNA Institute, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Organizational Affiliation:
