RNA Switches: Design and Applications

This lecture on RNA switches explores the design and applications of synthetic biology tools that exploit nature's regulatory RNA design principles to create new biomolecular components, networks, and organisms with enhanced abilities. It covers the fundamentals of mRNA translation, eukaryotic mRNA structure, and post-transcriptional regulatory elements. The lecture delves into engineered RNA transcriptional activators, riboregulators, ribozymes, and riboswitches, highlighting their role in gene regulation. Additionally, it discusses ligand-controlled riboregulators and conformationally-gated RNA switches shaped by ligandability. The session concludes with a summary of key points and practical exercises for students.