Date of Award

1-1-2011

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Chemistry

Content Description

1 online resource (xiv, 195 pages) : illustrations (some color)

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Carla A Theimer

Committee Members

Charles P Scholes, Alexander Shekhtman, Li Niu, Pan Li

Keywords

RNA

Subject Categories

Biochemistry

Abstract

As a versatile molecule, RNA exhibits an astonishing variety of functional activities, which is typically attributed to its particular structure-forming capacity. There are an increasing number of established roles and systems where RNA structures, in particular, RNA pseudoknots, affect specific biological processes based on their structural features. The structure-function-relationships of RNA in three systems has been invesgated: the telomerase RNA pseudoknot domain from S. cerevisiae, a poteintial unusual H-type pseudoknot forming region near the 3'-splice-site in the influenza virus NS1 mRNA, and the 5'-untranslated-region of the CC16 mRNA where mutations in the wildtype sequence have been related to asthma. UV-monitored thermal denaturation experiments, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy, and native gel electrophoresis were used to investigate various potential structural conformations in these domains.

Download

Included in

Biochemistry Commons

Share

COinS