Contrasting effect of different crowding agents on pseudoknot RNA stability

Abstract

Pseudoknot (PK) is one of the prevalent and potential targets for drug discovery. It is still difficult to predict PK-forming regions within endogenous RNA transcripts because the intracellular environment consisting of various cellular agents has diverse effects on the structure and stability of nucleic acids. In this study, we have demonstrated the impact of the varied crowding conditions on the structural stability of pseudoknot RNA, emphasizing the distinct stabilities of PK structures depending on the crowding environment.