What is the purpose of stem-loops?

As an important secondary structure of RNA, it can direct RNA folding, protect structural stability for messenger RNA (mRNA), provide recognition sites for RNA binding proteins, and serve as a substrate for enzymatic reactions.

Is stem loop the same as a hairpin?

Stem-loop structure is an intramolecular base pairing that can occur in single stranded DNA or RNA if sequences of two regions of the same strand are complementary to each other. In this situation a double-stranded stem forms which has an unpaired loop at ends. This structure is also known as hairpin.

Can DNA form a hairpin?

A number of trinucleotide sequences at the center of palindromic sequences in DNA can form compact and stable hairpin loops (1–11). Formation of stable DNA hairpin structures can influence supercoiling of DNA and DNA replication and transcription (6,7,12–14).

Which type of transcriptional termination usually results from the formation of a stem loop secondary structure?

Contrarily, intrinsic termination does not require a special protein to signal for termination and is controlled by the specific sequences of RNA. When the termination process begins, the transcribed mRNA forms a stable secondary structure hairpin loop, also known as a Stem-loop.

What are stem-loops in RNA?

Stem-loop is an essential unit of the structure of single stranded RNA or DNA. A stem-loop consists of a stem, double helix, and a loop which links the stem. The length of the loop is typically 3–8. Tetraloops, stem-loops with four nucleotides in the loop, are frequently found in RNA.

Which RNA structure is stem loop like?

Structural contexts Stem-loops occur in pre-microRNA structures and most famously in transfer RNA, which contain three true stem-loops and one stem that meet in a cloverleaf pattern. The anticodon that recognizes a codon during the translation process is located on one of the unpaired loops in the tRNA.

What is a stem loop in RNA?

What causes RNA hairpin loop?

The structure is also known as a hairpin or hairpin loop. It occurs when two regions of the same molecule, usually palindromic in nucleotide sequence, base-pair to form a double helix that ends in an unpaired loop. The resulting lollipop-shaped structure is a key building block of many RNA secondary structures.

How does RNA hairpin form?

mRNA hairpins can be formed when two complementary sequences in a single mRNA molecule meet and bind together, after a folding or wrinkling of the molecule. Hairpin loops can also form in DNA molecules, but are most commonly observed in mRNA.

Why do hairpin loops form?

A hairpin loop is an unpaired loop of messenger RNA (mRNA) that is created when an mRNA strand folds and forms base pairs with another section of the same strand. The resulting structure looks like a loop or a U-shape. Hairpins are a common type of secondary structure in RNA molecules.

What is the role of hairpins in termination of transcription?

Abstract. Intrinsic termination of transcription in Escherichia coli involves the formation of an RNA hairpin in the nascent RNA. This hairpin plays a central role in the release of the transcript and polymerase at intrinsic termination sites on the DNA template.

What is Gc hairpin?

A self-complementary or palindromic sequence of DNA usually 4-18 base pairs in length and rich in G-C base pairs that forms a “hairpin” structure. The hairpin causes the E. coli RNA polymerase to pause transcription.