Difference between revisions of "Team:Rice/Model"
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<h1 style = "background-color:#9bcfa7!important;"> Motivation <h1> | <h1 style = "background-color:#9bcfa7!important;"> Motivation <h1> | ||
| − | <p>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,<i>A. Thaliana</i> grows best between 18-20°C and <i>P. putdia </i> is typically grown in lab at 30°C. These two facts | + | <p>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, <i>A. Thaliana</i> grows best between 18-20°C and <i>P. putdia </i> is typically grown in lab at 30°C. These two facts combined help strengthen the need to design RNA thermometers that are optimized to melt at 30°C. |
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| − | <img class="img-responsive" style="width:60%" align = "center" src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2019/ | + | <img class="img-responsive" style="width:60%" align = "center" src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2019/4/40/T--Rice--PoopidyScoop.svg"/> |
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Revision as of 03:31, 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 combined 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.
