Featured Publications
Discovering riboswitches: the past and the future
Kavita K, Breaker RR. Discovering riboswitches: the past and the future. Trends In Biochemical Sciences 2022, 48: 119-141. PMID: 36150954, PMCID: PMC10043782, DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2022.08.009.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchNa+ riboswitches regulate genes for diverse physiological processes in bacteria
White N, Sadeeshkumar H, Sun A, Sudarsan N, Breaker RR. Na+ riboswitches regulate genes for diverse physiological processes in bacteria. Nature Chemical Biology 2022, 18: 878-885. PMID: 35879547, PMCID: PMC9337991, DOI: 10.1038/s41589-022-01086-4.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsOsmotic stressGene expressionDiverse physiological processesMetal ion transportersGene expression changesExpression of genesRiboswitch classesBacterial proteinsIon transportersExpression changesPhysiological processesATP productionLow mM rangeGenesProteinExpressionBacteriaTranscriptionDissociation constantsOrganismsBiologyMM rangeTransportersMotifStress
2023
A spermidine riboswitch class in bacteria exploits a close variant of an aptamer for the enzyme cofactor S-adenosylmethionine
Salvail H, Balaji A, Roth A, Breaker R. A spermidine riboswitch class in bacteria exploits a close variant of an aptamer for the enzyme cofactor S-adenosylmethionine. Cell Reports 2023, 42: 113571. PMID: 38096053, PMCID: PMC10853860, DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113571.Peer-Reviewed Original Research8-oxoguanine riboswitches in bacteria detect and respond to oxidative DNA damage
Dhakal S, Kavita K, Panchapakesan S, Roth A, Breaker R. 8-oxoguanine riboswitches in bacteria detect and respond to oxidative DNA damage. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2023, 120: e2307854120. PMID: 37748066, PMCID: PMC10556655, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2307854120.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAptamer domainGene expressionLigand specificityOxidative damageLigand-binding pocketRiboswitch classesFamilies of bacteriaRare variantsRiboswitch aptamerCertain oxidative stressesExposure of cellsOxidative DNA damageRiboswitchGene associationsRNA aptamersDNA damageNucleotide poolBacteriaTarget ligandsOxidative stressMutationsNumerous alterationsPurine derivativesExpressionVariantsRiboswitches
Salvail H, Breaker R. Riboswitches. Current Biology 2023, 33: r343-r348. PMID: 37160088, PMCID: PMC11207198, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.03.069.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchScreening for small molecule inhibitors of SAH nucleosidase using an SAH riboswitch
Sadeeshkumar H, Balaji A, Sutherland A, Mootien S, Anthony K, Breaker R. Screening for small molecule inhibitors of SAH nucleosidase using an SAH riboswitch. Analytical Biochemistry 2023, 666: 115047. PMID: 36682579, PMCID: PMC11149561, DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2023.115047.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHigh-throughput screenAutoinducer-2Reporter geneBacterial processesEssential bacterial processesGram-negative bacterial cellsQuorum sensing signalsΒ-galactosidase reporter geneSmall molecule inhibitorsAntibiotic drug discoveryNatural riboswitchesAntimicrobial drug developmentRNA elementsPhysiological signalingRiboswitchBacterial cellsMolecule inhibitorsS-adenosylmethionineEscherichia coliCritical functionsNew targetsGenesDrug discoverySmall moleculesPromising targetExploiting natural riboswitches for aptamer engineering and validation
Mohsen M, Midy M, Balaji A, Breaker R. Exploiting natural riboswitches for aptamer engineering and validation. Nucleic Acids Research 2023, 51: 966-981. PMID: 36617976, PMCID: PMC9881172, DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1218.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNatural riboswitchesRiboswitch aptamerReporter gene expressionSecondary structure featuresRNA poolExpression platformVivo functionGene expressionSurvival mechanismRNA sequencesStructural featuresRiboswitchAptamer selectionSmall moleculesSequenceAptamerCellsGuanineTest tubeFuture effortsSelectionSelection strategyExpressionPoolAptamer engineering
2022
Lithium-sensing riboswitch classes regulate expression of bacterial cation transporter genes
White N, Sadeeshkumar H, Sun A, Sudarsan N, Breaker R. Lithium-sensing riboswitch classes regulate expression of bacterial cation transporter genes. Scientific Reports 2022, 12: 19145. PMID: 36352003, PMCID: PMC9646797, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20695-6.Peer-Reviewed Original Research