Abstract
As the versatility of RNA becomes recognised, there is a need to develop computational methods to assist the discovery of novel riboregulators. Riboswitches, RNA sequences that control gene expression by changing conformation in response to changes in ligand concentrations, are the focus of this project. About 40 riboswitch families are known but many more isolated cases are predicted to exist, which will be impossible to find through homology-based methods. This project will explore an approach for discovering riboswitches based on integration of sequence, structure and genomic context signals of bacterial sequences. Novel candidates in mycobacteria will be tested experimentally.
References
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