Annotation and structural modeling of Anabaena Group I ribozyme variants

Our research focuses on the molecular architecture of biomolecules to obtain insight into the folding and catalytic behavior of the Anabaena group I intron in order to formulate a model structure. Group I introns are RNA sequences found in many organisms, which are capable of self‐splicing and removal from neighboring RNA sequences. The Anabaena group I intron itself comes from a cyanobacteria. To study the Anabaena ribozyme we are using both chemical methods coupled with computer bioinformatics. The folding and catalytic behavior of the ribozyme can be studied using fluorescent‐based assays to observe structural changes in the ribozyme. JalView sequence alignment software has also been adapted to analyze and annotate specific sequences of this Group I catalytic RNA. We can use this to map both chemical and genetic studies of this RNA molecule. As the structure of Anabaena itself has not yet been determined, it is our goal to use computation software to develop to an accurate three‐dimensional representation of the Anabaena ribozyme. Describing the three dimensional structure and dynamic of this model biomolecule system will help us gain a broader understanding of their function in living systems. The research was supported by the Albion College Foundation for Undergraduate Research, Scholarly and Creative Activity.