Magnesium ions mediate ligand binding and conformational transition of the SAM/SAH riboswitch

• Published in: Communications biology Vol. 6; no. 1; pp. 791 - 10
• Main Authors: Hu, Guodong, Zhou, Huan-Xiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 31.07.2023; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/45/500; 631/57/2266; Adenosylmethionine; Binding sites; Biology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Hydrogen bonds; Ions; Life Sciences; Ligands; Magnesium; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Riboswitch; RNA - chemistry; S-Adenosylmethionine; S-Adenosylmethionine - chemistry; S-Adenosylmethionine - metabolism; Simulation

The SAM/SAH riboswitch binds S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) with similar affinities. Mg 2+ is generally known to stabilize RNA structures by neutralizing phosphates, but how it contributes to ligand binding and conformational transition is understudied. Here, extensive m...