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Revision as of 03:10, 22 October 2019
Motivation
Existing RNA thermometers operate around 37°C and do not exhibit significant conformational changes between 25°C and 30°C. As most plants will die at 37°C, it was necessary to design thermometers that experienced conformational change between 25°C. We chose to design thermometers by finding optimal candidates using a genetic algorithm, as the complexity of RNA folding made it difficult to rationally design thermometers. As the figures below show,A. Thaliana grows best between 18-20°C and P. putdia is typically grown in lab at 30°C. These two facts combine help strengthen the need to design RNA thermometers that are optimized to melt at 30°C.
How RNA Thermometers Regulate Translation
In essence, RNA thermometers are a form of temperature dependent translational regulation. At low temperatures, there is a higher probability of more base pairs forming what is known as a "stem-loop structure". At higher temperatures, the thermometers "melt", meaning there is a decreased likelihood of base pairs forming.
