Structure-based insights into recognition and regulation of SAM-sensing riboswitches

Riboswitches are highly conserved RNA elements that located in the 5′-UTR of mRNAs, which undergo real-time structure conformational change to achieve the regulation of downstream gene expression by sensing their cognate ligands. S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is a ubiquitous methyl donor for transmethylation reactions in all living organisms. SAM riboswitch is one of the most abundant riboswitches that bind to SAM with high affinity and selectivity, serving as regulatory modules in multiple metabolic pathways. To date, seven SAM-specific riboswitch classes that belong to four families, one SAM/SAH riboswitch and one SAH riboswitch have been identified. Each SAM riboswitch family has a well-organized tertiary core scaffold to support their unique ligand-specific binding pocket. In this review, we summarize the current research progress on the distribution, structure, ligand recognition and gene regulation mechanism of these SAM-related riboswitch families, and further discuss their evolutionary prospects and potential applications.