2022 journal article

RNA as a Major-Groove Ligand: RNA-RNA and RNA-DNA Triplexes Formed by GAA and UUC or TTC Sequences

ACS OMEGA, 7(43), 38728–38743.

By: J. Zhang n, A. Fakharzadeh n, C. Roland n & C. Sagui n

TL;DR: An in silico investigation of all possible triplexes that form by attaching a third RNA strand to an RNA:RNA or DNA:DNA duplex, complementing previous DNA-based triplex studies and allowing for the emergence of a complete picture of the stability and structural characteristics of triPlexes based on the GAA and TTC/UUC sequences. (via Semantic Scholar)
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Source: Web Of Science
Added: November 21, 2022

Friedreich’s ataxia is associated with noncanonical nucleic acid structures that emerge when GAA:TTC repeats in the first intron of the FXN gene expand beyond a critical number of repeats. Specifically, the noncanonical repeats are associated with both triplexes and R-loops. Here, we present an in silico investigation of all possible triplexes that form by attaching a third RNA strand to an RNA:RNA or DNA:DNA duplex, complementing previous DNA-based triplex studies. For both new triplexes results are similar. For a pyridimine UUC+ third strand, the parallel orientation is stable while its antiparallel counterpart is unstable. For a neutral GAA third strand, the parallel conformation is stable. A protonated GA+A third strand is stable in both parallel and antiparallel orientations. We have also investigated Na+ and Mg2+ ion distributions around the triplexes. The presence of Mg2+ ions helps stabilize neutral, antiparallel GAA triplexes. These results (along with previous DNA-based studies) allow for the emergence of a complete picture of the stability and structural characteristics of triplexes based on the GAA and TTC/UUC sequences, thereby contributing to the field of trinucleotide repeats and the associated unusual structures that trigger expansion.