Poster abstracts

Poster number 145 submitted by Iranna Todkari

Resolving altered base-pairing of RNA modifications with DNA nanoswitches

Iranna Annappa Todkari (Department of Chemistry and The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222, USA), Arun Richard Chandrasekaran, Jibin Abraham Punnoose ( The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222, USA), Song Mao, Phensinee Haruehanroengra (Department of Chemistry, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222, USA), Camryn Beckles ( The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222, USA), Jia Sheng (Department of Chemistry and The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222, USA), Ken Halvorsen ( The RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222, USA)

Abstract:
There are more than 170 naturally occurring chemical modifications of RNA, with both known and unknown functions. Analytical methods for detecting chemical modifications and for analyzing their effects are relatively limited, and have had difficulty keeping pace with the demand for RNA modification research. Some modifications can affect the ability of RNA to hybridize with its complementary sequence or change the selectivity of base pairing. Here, we investigate the use of affinity-based DNA nanoswitches to resolve energetic differences in hybridization. We found that a single m3C modification can sufficiently destabilize hybridization to abolish a detection signal, while an s4U modification can selectively hybridize with G over A. These results establish proof of concept for using DNA nanoswitches to detect certain RNA modifications, or for analyzing the stabilizing or destabilizing effects of RNA modifications.

References:
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Keywords: RNA Modifications, DNA Nanoswitches