Difference between revisions of "Riboswitches"
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| + | Reviews of previous research showed that the theophylline aptamer worked in riboswitches in wheat germ, a eukaryotes, and ''Bacillus subtilis'', a gram positive bacterium. Desai and Gallivan decided to translate the technology to gram negative bacteria. TO do this they cloned the theophylline aptamer five base pairs upstream of the RBS for ''lacZ''. The gene is controlled by a weak promoter and a weak RBS allowing for sensitivity to changes in translation because of the presence of theophylline. | ||
Revision as of 15:41, 13 November 2007
Riboswitches are small sequences in mRNA that bind small molecules to regulate translation and occasionally transcription. Riboswitches occur naturally in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Desai and Gallivan hoped to find new synthetic riboswitches (riboswitches with new ligand specificities) by creating libraries of mutant riboswitches and using genetic selection to pick the functional ones of interest. Desai and Gallivan also employed riboswitches to screen for the presence of specific small molecules. In theory riboswitches are perfect because the number of aptamers already in existence and our capbaility to engineer new aptamers through rational design.
Design
Reviews of previous research showed that the theophylline aptamer worked in riboswitches in wheat germ, a eukaryotes, and Bacillus subtilis, a gram positive bacterium. Desai and Gallivan decided to translate the technology to gram negative bacteria. TO do this they cloned the theophylline aptamer five base pairs upstream of the RBS for lacZ. The gene is controlled by a weak promoter and a weak RBS allowing for sensitivity to changes in translation because of the presence of theophylline.
