Poster abstracts
Poster number 25 submitted by Taylor Dickson
RNA G-quadruplex behavior and observation of liquid-liquid phase separation under biologically relevant conditions.
Taylor M. Dickson (Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA), Allison M. Williams ( Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for RNA Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA), Philip C. Bevilacqua (Department of Chemistry, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for RNA Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA)
Abstract:
G-quadruplexes are stable guanine-rich secondary nucleic acid structures that exist in vitro. RNA G-quadruplexes, unlike the typical double stranded DNA counterpart, are dependent upon environmental conditions for their formation and stability. While many studies investigating G-quadruplex formation and stability focus on conditions outside the realm of biology, we explore biological RNA sequences under biologically representative conditions. Liquid-liquid phase separation has been observed under a confocal in the presence of an oncogene, ions, polyamines, and small molecules. The varying observation of droplets and aggregates suggests that the formation of guanine interactions within RNA sequences is environmentally driven. We hypothesize that droplet and aggregate interactions interfere with G-quadruplex formation and function within cellular processes. This research suggests the condition-specific nature of secondary nucleic acid structure formation and emphasizes the importance of expanding upon RNA G-quadruplex structure analysis.
Keywords: RNA, Q-quadruplex , liquid-liquid phase separation