RNA thermometer
Temperature-dependent RNA structure / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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An RNA thermometer (or RNA thermosensor) is a temperature-sensitive non-coding RNA molecule which regulates gene expression.[1] Its unique characteristic it is that it does not need proteins or metabolites to function, but only reacts to temperature changes.[2] RNA thermometers often regulate genes required during either a heat shock or cold shock response, but have been implicated in other regulatory roles such as in pathogenicity and starvation.[1]
In general, RNA thermometers operate by changing their secondary structure and tertiary structure[3] in response to temperature fluctuations. This structural transition can then expose or occlude important regions of RNA such as a ribosome binding site, which then affects the translation rate of a nearby protein-coding gene.
RNA thermometers, along with riboswitches, are used as examples in support of the RNA world hypothesis. This theory proposes that RNA was once the sole nucleic acid present in cells, and was replaced by the current DNA → RNA → protein system.[4]
Examples of RNA thermometers include FourU,[5] the Hsp90 cis-regulatory element,[6] the ROSE element,[7] the Lig RNA thermometer,[8] and the Hsp17 thermometer.[9]