Cryo-EM reveals an entangled kinetic trap in the folding of a catalytic RNA

Authors: Steve L. Bonilla, Quentin Vicens, Jeffrey S. Kieft

Published: 2022-08-26

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq4144

Source: Full article

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Abstract

Functional RNAs fold through complex pathways that can contain misfolded “kinetic traps.” A complete model of RNA folding requires understanding the formation of these misfolded states, but they are difficult to characterize because of their transient and potentially conformationally dynamic nature. We used cryo–electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to visualize a long-lived misfolded state in the folding pathway of the