The structure of RNA has been shown to be critical to its function, whereby specific structural motifs can affect stability, splicing, translation and RNA-protein binding interactions for coding and non-coding RNA species. Additionally, highly organised structural domains enable RNA species to function beyond the control of gene expression, including scaffolding of complex assemblies and molecular chaperoning. Importantly, RNA structure is dynamic and growing evidence implicates RNAs as active sensors of their local environment, undergoing conformational changes in response to environmental stimuli.
In neurons, precise spatiotemporal expression of RNA has been shown to be critical for key neuronal processes including cell development/identity, cell signalling and synaptic plasticity. The role of structural motifs and domains in key RNAs is predicted to have a significant influence on their function/s in these important neuronal processes. Here we have begun to interrogate the structural dynamics of the neuronal RNA population.