Structure, recognition and adaptive binding in RNA aptamer complexes

International audience; Novel features of RNA structure, recognition and discrimination have been recently elucidated through the solution structural characterizion of RNA aptamers that bind cofactors, aminoglycoside antibiotics, amino acids and peptides with high af®nity and speci®city. This review presents the solution structures of RNA aptamer complexes with adenosine monophosphate,¯avin mononucleotide, arginine/citrulline and tobramycin together with an example of hydrogen exchange measurements of the base-pair kinetics for the AMP-RNA aptamer complex. A comparative analysis of the structures of these RNA aptamer complexes yields the principles, patterns and diversity associated with RNA architecture, molecular recognition and adaptive binding associated with complex formation.