Date of Award

1-1-2012

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Chemistry

Content Description

1 online resource (xiii, 187 pages) : illustrations (some color)

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Carla A. Theimer

Committee Members

Jayanti Pande, Scott Tenebaum, John Welch, Alexander Shekhtman

Keywords

Riboswitch, RNA, Thermodynamics, Non-coding RNA, Riboswitches, RNA-protein interactions

Subject Categories

Biochemistry

Abstract

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) has been found to be a very versatile molecule, exhibiting countless functions and can act as a catalyst in biochemical reactions. These functions have typically been attributed to the unique structures that it forms. Novel non-coding RNAs capable of regulating gene expression are still being discovered, and the scope of the RNA world is still being uncovered. The structure function relationship of two different types of non-coding RNA has been investigated: riboswitches and sxRNAs. UV-monitored thermal denaturation experiments, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy, native gel electrophoresis and an in vivo luciferase assay were used to investigate the structural conformations in these systems.

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