RNA Structure, Folding and Cellular Function: Mechanisms and Biological Significance
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 10
Special Issue Editor
2. Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Patras, 26508 Patras, Greece
Interests: RNA structure and folding; RNA–protein interactions; non-coding RNA function; RNA biogenesis and processing
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Since the discovery of catalytic RNA, it has become increasingly clear that RNA molecules adopt complex three-dimensional architectures. From catalytic ribozymes and riboswitches that sense metabolites to structured non-coding RNAs that remodel chromatin and R-loops that couple transcription with DNA repair, the functional repertoire of RNA is governed at its core by structural principles. Elucidating how RNA folds, how it is recognized by proteins and other nucleic acids and how structural dynamics drive biological processes remains some of the central questions in molecular biology, with direct implications for human disease and the development of next-generation RNA-targeted therapeutics.
This Special Issue aims to bring together original research articles and reviews that advance our understanding of RNA at the structural and functional level. We welcome contributions spanning the full spectrum of RNA biology, with particular emphasis on the mechanistic and biological significance of RNA structural features. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- RNA secondary and tertiary structure determination (X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, NMR, SAXS, chemical probing)
- RNA folding mechanisms, thermodynamics and dynamics
- RNA–protein interactions and recognition principles
- RNA biogenesis, processing, modification and turnover
- Non-coding RNA function and regulation (lncRNA, miRNA, snRNA, snoRNA, etc.)
- RNA–DNA hybrid structures and R-loop biology
- Ribozymes and catalytic RNA
- RNA structure in the context of viral biology and host–pathogen interactions
- RNA structure in disease and RNA-targeted therapeutic strategies
- Computational prediction and modeling of RNA structure
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Ilias Skeparnias
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- RNA structure
- RNA folding
- RNA–protein interactions
- R-loops
- RNA:DNA hybrids
- non-coding RNA
- RNA biogenesis
- gene regulation
- ribozymes
- RNA therapeutics
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