Current Activators of the glmS Riboswitch

Synthesis of spin-labeled carbohydrates for the investigation of lectins and synthesis of carbasugars as activators for the glmS riboswitch

Carba-sugars activate the glmS-riboswitch of Staphylococcus aureus.

The glmS-riboswitch is unique among riboswitch families as it represents a metabolite-dependent ribozyme that undergoes self-cleavage upon recognition of glucosamin-6-phosphate. The glmS-riboswitch is located in the 5'-untranslated region of bacterial genes involved in cell wall biosynthesis. Therefore, this riboswitch represents a promising target for developing new antibiotics. We describe th...

High-throughput-compatible assay for glmS riboswitch metabolite dependence.

The increasing appearance of antibiotic-resistant strains of microbial pathogens seriously threatens our ability to control most of the major diseases. Coping with this threat will require continuous efforts to identify, explore and validate novel targets for antibiotic intervention. With the recent discovery that many bacteria utilize certain RNA domains, namely riboswitches and metabolite-dep...

Trans-acting glmS catalytic riboswitch: locked and loaded.

A recently discovered class of gene regulatory RNAs, coined riboswitches, are commonly found in noncoding segments of bacterial and some eukaryotic mRNAs. Gene up- or down-regulation is triggered by binding of a small organic metabolite, which typically induces an RNA conformational change. Unique among these noncoding RNAs is the glmS catalytic riboswitch, or ribozyme, found in the 5'-untransl...

Phosphatase-Inert Glucosamine 6-Phosphate Mimics Serve as Actuators of the glmS Riboswitch

The glmS riboswitch is unique among gene-regulating riboswitches and catalytic RNAs. This is because its own metabolite, glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN6P), binds to the riboswitch and catalytically participates in the RNA self-cleavage reaction, thereby providing a novel negative feedback mechanism. Given that a number of pathogens harbor the glmS riboswitch, artificial actuators of this potenti...