scholarly journals RNA 3D Structure Prediction Using Coarse-Grained Models

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Li ◽  
Shi-Jie Chen
Keyword(s):  
Structure Prediction ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Biological Functions ◽  
3D Structures ◽  
Rna Molecules ◽  
Atomic Structures ◽  
Long Time

The three-dimensional (3D) structures of Ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules are essential to understanding their various and important biological functions. However, experimental determination of the atomic structures is laborious and technically difficult. The large gap between the number of sequences and the experimentally determined structures enables the thriving development of computational approaches to modeling RNAs. However, computational methods based on all-atom simulations are intractable for large RNA systems, which demand long time simulations. Facing such a challenge, many coarse-grained (CG) models have been developed. Here, we provide a review of CG models for modeling RNA 3D structures, compare the performance of the different models, and offer insights into potential future developments.

scholarly journals 3dRNA v2.0: An Updated Web Server for RNA 3D Structure Prediction

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (17) ◽  
pp. 4116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Wang ◽  
Jian Wang ◽  
Yanzhao Huang ◽  
Yi Xiao
Keyword(s):  
Structure Prediction ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Web Server ◽  
Structure Optimization ◽  
Optimization Procedure ◽  
Biological Functions ◽  
Rna Sequences ◽  
3D Structures ◽  
3D Structure Prediction ◽  
Sampling Structure

3D structures of RNAs are the basis for understanding their biological functions. However, experimentally solved RNA 3D structures are very limited in comparison with known RNA sequences up to now. Therefore, many computational methods have been proposed to solve this problem, including our 3dRNA. In recent years, 3dRNA has been greatly improved by adding several important features, including structure sampling, structure ranking and structure optimization under residue-residue restraints. Particularly, the optimization procedure with restraints enables 3dRNA to treat pseudoknots in a new way. These new features of 3dRNA can greatly promote its performance and have been integrated into the 3dRNA v2.0 web server. Here we introduce these new features in the 3dRNA v2.0 web server for the users.

scholarly journals RNA-align: quick and accurate alignment of RNA 3D structures based on size-independent TM-scoreRNA

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (21) ◽  
pp. 4459-4461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sha Gong ◽  
Chengxin Zhang ◽  
Yang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Rna Structure ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Structure Alignment ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Supplementary Information ◽  
Art Programs ◽  
3D Structures ◽  
Rna Molecules ◽  
Functional Relations

Abstract Motivation Comparison of RNA 3D structures can be used to infer functional relationship of RNA molecules. Most of the current RNA structure alignment programs are built on size-dependent scales, which complicate the interpretation of structure and functional relations. Meanwhile, the low speed prevents the programs from being applied to large-scale RNA structural database search. Results We developed an open-source algorithm, RNA-align, for RNA 3D structure alignment which has the structure similarity scaled by a size-independent and statistically interpretable scoring metric. Large-scale benchmark tests show that RNA-align significantly outperforms other state-of-the-art programs in both alignment accuracy and running speed. The major advantage of RNA-align lies at the quick convergence of the heuristic alignment iterations and the coarse-grained secondary structure assignment, both of which are crucial to the speed and accuracy of RNA structure alignments. Availability and implementation https://zhanglab.ccmb.med.umich.edu/RNA-align/. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

scholarly journals Contrastive learning on protein embeddings enlightens midnight zone at lightning speed

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Heinzinger ◽  
Maria Littmann ◽  
Ian Sillitoe ◽  
Nicola Bordin ◽  
Christine Orengo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structure Prediction ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Hierarchical Classification ◽  
Language Models ◽  
Sequence Alignments ◽  
Sequence Comparisons ◽  
Multiple Sequence ◽  
3D Structures

Thanks to the recent advances in protein three-dimensional (3D) structure prediction, in particular through AlphaFold 2 and RoseTTAFold, the abundance of protein 3D information will explode over the next year(s). Expert resources based on 3D structures such as SCOP and CATH have been organizing the complex sequence-structure-function relations into a hierarchical classification schema. Experimental structures are leveraged through multiple sequence alignments, or more generally through homology-based inference (HBI) transferring annotations from a protein with experimentally known annotation to a query without annotation. Here, we presented a novel approach that expands the concept of HBI from a low-dimensional sequence-distance lookup to the level of a high-dimensional embedding-based annotation transfer (EAT). Secondly, we introduced a novel solution using single protein sequence representations from protein Language Models (pLMs), so called embeddings (Prose, ESM-1b, ProtBERT, and ProtT5), as input to contrastive learning, by which a new set of embeddings was created that optimized constraints captured by hierarchical classifications of protein 3D structures. These new embeddings (dubbed ProtTucker) clearly improved what was historically referred to as threading or fold recognition. Thereby, the new embeddings enabled the intrusion into the midnight zone of protein comparisons, i.e., the region in which the level of pairwise sequence similarity is akin of random relations and therefore is hard to navigate by HBI methods. Cautious benchmarking showed that ProtTucker reached much further than advanced sequence comparisons without the need to compute alignments allowing it to be orders of magnitude faster. Code is available at https://github.com/Rostlab/EAT .

scholarly journals Computational modeling of RNA 3D structure based on experimental data

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Almudena Ponce-Salvatierra ◽  
Astha ◽  
Katarzyna Merdas ◽  
Chandran Nithin ◽  
Pritha Ghosh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Computational Methods ◽  
Rna Structure ◽  
Structure Prediction ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Rna Structures ◽  
Data Types ◽  
Rna Sequences ◽  
Rna Molecules

Abstract RNA molecules are master regulators of cells. They are involved in a variety of molecular processes: they transmit genetic information, sense cellular signals and communicate responses, and even catalyze chemical reactions. As in the case of proteins, RNA function is dictated by its structure and by its ability to adopt different conformations, which in turn is encoded in the sequence. Experimental determination of high-resolution RNA structures is both laborious and difficult, and therefore the majority of known RNAs remain structurally uncharacterized. To address this problem, predictive computational methods were developed based on the accumulated knowledge of RNA structures determined so far, the physical basis of the RNA folding, and taking into account evolutionary considerations, such as conservation of functionally important motifs. However, all theoretical methods suffer from various limitations, and they are generally unable to accurately predict structures for RNA sequences longer than 100-nt residues unless aided by additional experimental data. In this article, we review experimental methods that can generate data usable by computational methods, as well as computational approaches for RNA structure prediction that can utilize data from experimental analyses. We outline methods and data types that can be potentially useful for RNA 3D structure modeling but are not commonly used by the existing software, suggesting directions for future development.

It's a loop world – single strands in RNA as structural and functional elements

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 171-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Schudoma
Keyword(s):  
Structure Prediction ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Rna Structures ◽  
Rna Molecules ◽  
Processing Pathways ◽  
Ligand Interactions ◽  
3D Architecture ◽  
Microrna Processing ◽  
Rna Structural Motifs

AbstractUnpaired regions in RNA molecules – loops – are centrally involved in defining the characteristic three-dimensional (3D) architecture of RNAs and are of high interest in RNA engineering and design. Loops adopt diverse, but specific conformations stabilised by complex tertiary structural interactions that provide structural flexibility to RNA structures that would otherwise not be possible if they only consisted of the rigid A-helical shapes usually formed by canonical base pairing. By participating in sequence-non-local contacts, they furthermore contribute to stabilising the overall fold of RNA molecules. Interactions between RNAs and other nucleic acids, proteins, or small molecules are also generally mediated by RNA loop structures. Therefore, the function of an RNA molecule is generally dependent on its loops. Examples include intermolecular interactions between RNAs as part of the microRNA processing pathways, ribozymatic activity, or riboswitch-ligand interactions. Bioinformatics approaches have been successfully applied to the identification of novel RNA structural motifs including loops, local and global RNA 3D structure prediction, and structural and conformational analysis of RNAs and have contributed to a better understanding of the sequence-structure-function relationships in RNA loops.

scholarly journals Modeling structure, stability and flexibility of double-stranded RNAs in salt solutions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Jin ◽  
Y.Z. Shi ◽  
C.J. Feng ◽  
Y.L. Tan ◽  
Z.J. Tan
Keyword(s):  
Electrostatic Potential ◽  
Cell Metabolism ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Structure Stability ◽  
Salt Solutions ◽  
3D Structures ◽  
Coarse Grained Model ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractDouble-stranded (ds) RNAs play essential roles in many processes of cell metabolism. The knowledge of three-dimensional (3D) structure, stability and flexibility of dsRNAs in salt solutions is important for understanding their biological functions. In this work, we further developed our previously proposed coarse-grained model to predict 3D structure, stability and flexibility for dsRNAs in monovalent and divalent ion solutions through involving an implicit structure-based electrostatic potential. The model can make reliable predictions for 3D structures of extensive dsRNAs with/without bulge/internal loops from their sequences, and the involvement of the structure-based electrostatic potential and corresponding ion condition can improve the predictions on 3D structures of dsRNAs in ion solutions. Furthermore, the model can make good predictions on thermal stability for extensive dsRNAs over the wide range of monovalent/divalent ion concentrations, and our analyses show that thermally unfolding pathway of a dsRNA is generally dependent on its length as well as its sequence. In addition, the model was employed to examine the salt-dependent flexibility of a dsRNA helix and the calculated salt-dependent persistence lengths are in good accordance with experiments.

scholarly journals Ribosolve: Rapid determination of three-dimensional RNA-only structures

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalli Kappel ◽  
Kaiming Zhang ◽  
Zhaoming Su ◽  
Wipapat Kladwang ◽  
Shanshan Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Determination ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Internal Controls ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Chemical Mapping ◽  
Rna Molecules ◽  
Moderate Resolution ◽  
3D Structure Determination

AbstractThe discovery and design of biologically important RNA molecules is dramatically outpacing three-dimensional structural characterization. To address this challenge, we present Ribosolve, a hybrid method integrating moderate-resolution cryo-EM maps, chemical mapping, and Rosetta computational modeling, and demonstrate its application to thirteen previously unknown 119-to 338-nucleotide protein-free RNA-only structures: full-length Tetrahymena ribozyme, hc16 ligase with and without substrate, full-length V. cholerae and F. nucleatum glycine riboswitch aptamers with and without glycine, Mycobacterium SAM-IV riboswitch with and without S-adenosylmethionine, and computer-designed spinach-TTR-3, eterna3D-JR_1, and ATP-TTR-3 with and without AMP. Blind challenges, prospective compensatory mutagenesis, internal controls, and simulation benchmarks validate the Ribosolve models and establish that modeling convergence is quantitatively predictive of model accuracy. These results demonstrate that RNA-only 3D structure determination can be rapid and routine.

scholarly journals Structural 3D Domain Reconstruction of the RNA Genome from Viruses with Secondary Structure Models

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1555
Author(s):  
Simón Poblete ◽  
Horacio V. Guzman
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Structure ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Entire Genome ◽  
Rna Molecules ◽  
Secondary Structure Models ◽  
Rna Genome ◽  
Self Association

Three-dimensional RNA domain reconstruction is important for the assembly, disassembly and delivery functionalities of a packed proteinaceus capsid. However, to date, the self-association of RNA molecules is still an open problem. Recent chemical probing reports provide, with high reliability, the secondary structure of diverse RNA ensembles, such as those of viral genomes. Here, we present a method for reconstructing the complete 3D structure of RNA genomes, which combines a coarse-grained model with a subdomain composition scheme to obtain the entire genome inside proteinaceus capsids based on secondary structures from experimental techniques. Despite the amount of sampling involved in the folded and also unfolded RNA molecules, advanced microscope techniques can provide points of anchoring, which enhance our model to include interactions between capsid pentamers and RNA subdomains. To test our method, we tackle the satellite tobacco mosaic virus (STMV) genome, which has been widely studied by both experimental and computational communities. We provide not only a methodology to structurally analyze the tertiary conformations of the RNA genome inside capsids, but a flexible platform that allows the easy implementation of features/descriptors coming from both theoretical and experimental approaches.

scholarly journals Chemical Reversible Crosslinking Enables Measurement of RNA 3D Distances and Alternative Conformations in Cells

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Van Damme ◽  
Kongpan Li ◽  
Minjie Zhang ◽  
Jianhui Bai ◽  
Wilson Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Tertiary Structure ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Direct Determination ◽  
Transcriptional Elongation ◽  
3D Structures ◽  
Rna Molecules ◽  
Cellular Context

Three-dimensional (3D) structures dictate the functions of RNA molecules in a wide variety of biological processes. However, direct determination of RNA 3D structures in vivo is difficult due to their large sizes, conformational heterogeneity, and dynamics. Here we present a new method, Spatial 2'-Hydroxyl Acylation Reversible Crosslinking (SHARC), which uses chemical crosslinkers of defined lengths to measure distances between nucleotides in cellular RNA. Integrating crosslinking, exonuclease (exo) trimming, proximity ligation, and high throughput sequencing, SHARC enables transcriptome-wide tertiary structure contact maps at high accuracy and precision, revealing heterogeneous RNA structures and interactions. SHARC data provide constraints that improves Rosetta-based RNA 3D structure modeling at near-nanometer resolution. Integrating SHARC-exo with other crosslinking-based methods, we discover compact folding of the 7SK RNA, a critical regulator of transcriptional elongation. These results establish a new strategy for measuring RNA 3D distances and alternative conformations in their native cellular context.

scholarly journals Bioinformatics Tools and Benchmarks for Computational Docking and 3D Structure Prediction of RNA-Protein Complexes

Genes ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandran Nithin ◽  
Pritha Ghosh ◽  
Janusz Bujnicki
Keyword(s):  
Rna Splicing ◽  
Structure Prediction ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Structural Models ◽  
Computational Prediction ◽  
Computational Docking ◽  
3D Structure Prediction ◽  
Rna Protein Complexes

RNA-protein (RNP) interactions play essential roles in many biological processes, such as regulation of co-transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene expression, RNA splicing, transport, storage and stabilization, as well as protein synthesis. An increasing number of RNP structures would aid in a better understanding of these processes. However, due to the technical difficulties associated with experimental determination of macromolecular structures by high-resolution methods, studies on RNP recognition and complex formation present significant challenges. As an alternative, computational prediction of RNP interactions can be carried out. Structural models obtained by theoretical predictive methods are, in general, less reliable compared to models based on experimental measurements but they can be sufficiently accurate to be used as a basis for to formulating functional hypotheses. In this article, we present an overview of computational methods for 3D structure prediction of RNP complexes. We discuss currently available methods for macromolecular docking and for scoring 3D structural models of RNP complexes in particular. Additionally, we also review benchmarks that have been developed to assess the accuracy of these methods.

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