Synthetic riboswitches are powerful tools in synthetic biology in which sensing and execution are consolidated in a single RNA molecule. By using SELEX to select aptamers in vitro, synthetic riboswitches can in theory be engineered against any ligand of choice. Surprisingly, very few in vitro selected aptamers have been used for the engineering of synthetic riboswitches. In-depth studies of these aptamers suggest that the key characteristics of such regulatory active RNAs are their structural switching abilities and their binding dynamics. Conventional SELEX approaches seem to be inadequate to select for these characteristics, which may explain the lack of in vitro selected aptamers suited for engineering of synthetic riboswitches. In this review, we explore the functional principles of synthetic riboswitches, identify key characteristics of regulatory active in vitro selected aptamers and integrate these findings in context with available in vitro selection methods. Based on these insights, we propose to use a combination of capture-SELEX and subsequent functional screening for a more successful in vitro selection of aptamers that can be applied for the engineering of synthetic riboswitches.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167631 | DOI Listing |
Nat Chem Biol
January 2025
Institute of Organic Chemistry, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Ribozymes that catalyze site-specific RNA modification have recently gained increasing interest for their ability to mimic methyltransferase enzymes and for their application to install molecular tags. Recently, we reported SAMURI as a site-specific alkyltransferase ribozyme using S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) or a stabilized analog to transfer a methyl or propargyl group to N of an adenosine. Here, we report the crystal structures of SAMURI in the postcatalytic state.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFoods
December 2024
Microorganisms and Active Biomolecules Laboratory (LR03ES03), Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis 2092, Tunisia.
The use of lactic acid bacteria for developing functional foods is increasing for their ability to synthesize beneficial metabolites such as vitamin B (riboflavin, RF) and postbiotic compounds. Here, the spontaneous mutant FS54 B2 was isolated by treatment of the dextran-producing FS54 strain with roseoflavin. FS54 B2 overproduced RF (4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant Biotechnol J
December 2024
Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
The green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a promising host organism for the production of valuable compounds. Engineering the Chlamydomonas chloroplast genome offers several advantages over the nuclear genome, including targeted gene insertion, lack of silencing mechanisms, potentially higher protein production due to multiple genome copies and natural substrate abundance for metabolic engineering. Tuneable expression systems can be used to minimize competition between heterologous production and host cell viability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Synth Biol
December 2024
Proteo-Science Center, Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8577, Japan.
Cell-free systems, which can express an easily detectable output (protein) with a DNA or mRNA template, are promising as foundations of biosensors devoid of cellular constraints. Moreover, by encasing them in membranes such as natural cells to create artificial cells, these systems can avoid the adverse effects of environmental inhibitory molecules. However, the bacterial systems generally used for this purpose do not function well at ambient temperatures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Rev
December 2024
Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7102, United States.
Transition metals function as structural and catalytic cofactors for a large diversity of proteins and enzymes that collectively comprise the metalloproteome. Metallostasis considers all cellular processes, notably metal sensing, metalloproteome remodeling, and trafficking (or allocation) of metals that collectively ensure the functional integrity and adaptability of the metalloproteome. Bacteria employ both protein and RNA-based mechanisms that sense intracellular transition metal bioavailability and orchestrate systems-level outputs that maintain metallostasis.
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