Hydrostatic pressure is an important factor for understanding the dynamics of RNA molecules. In a recent study, a team of researchers from the Institute of Biochemical Physics of the RAS have discovered how the hydrostatic pressure can influence the conformational dynamics of RNA molecules. The team used experimental and computational methods to examine the effect of hydrostatic pressure on the conformational dynamics of the four-way junction of a messenger RNA molecule.

Their findings revealed that hydrostatic pressure can affect the conformational dynamics of the four-way junction of a messenger RNA molecule. Specifically, the team discovered that increasing the hydrostatic pressure increases the flexibility of the junction, leading to an increase in its rate of thermal fluctuations. The researchers also found that the rate of these fluctuations could be further increased by applying a low external electric field. This finding could help us better understand the dynamics of RNA molecules and how they are affected by hydrostatic pressure.

Read Full Article Here

source: Phys.org