A folding "framework structure" of Tetrahymena group I intron.

We have published the dynamic extended folding (DEF) method, which is a RNA secondary structure prediction approach-to simulate the in vivo RNA co-transcriptional folding process. In order to verify the reliability of the method, we selected the X-ray-determined Tetrahymena group I intron as a sample to construct the framework of its folding secondary structure. Our prediction coincides well with the secondary structure predicted by T.

Dynamic extended folding: modeling the RNA secondary structures during co-transcriptional folding.

For RNA secondary structure prediction, it is an important issue that how to deal with co-transcriptional folding during the RNA synthesis in the cell. On one hand, co-transcriptional folding, leads to the correct final structure of the whole RNA molecule. On the other hand, it may form the recognition sites for the progress of the transcription.