Poster abstracts
Poster number 68 submitted by Danushika Herath
Effects of Sequence and Environment on T-Box Riboswitch Function
Danushika Herath (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Ohio University), Izzy Walther (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Ohio University), Deborah Amesaki (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Ohio University), Md. Ismail Hossain (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Ohio University), Jennifer V. Hines (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Ohio University)
Abstract:
Developing new antibacterial compounds and identifying novel targets is crucial for combating antibacterial drug resistance. Noncoding regulatory RNAs such as the T-box riboswitch, which responds to cognate nonaminoacylated tRNA, represent a promising drug target because it regulates amino acid-related genes essential for bacterial survival. The main objective of this project is to characterize and quantify transcription product outcomes for T box riboswitch sequence variants under different environmental conditions, thereby providing insights into RNA structure-function relationships that can inform the development of novel antibacterial therapeutics targeting riboswitch-mediated transcription control. We designed four glyQS T box variants by modifying the highly conserved 10th and 11th nucleotide positions within the 5′ bulge of the antiterminator, which stabilizes the tRNA-antiterminator interaction, and additionally evaluated sequence variations in the stem III 5′ flank of the B. subtilis glyQS riboswitch. Sequence dependent changes in the B. subtilis glyQS riboswitch transcription readthrough were assessed using a fluorescently monitored transcription readthrough assay. The effect of polyamines and environmental factors on these sequence variants was also investigated. Statistically significant changes and their implications for the role of the specific structural elements in glyQS T-box riboswitch regulation will be discussed.
Keywords: T-Box, Riboswitch, Polyamines