Guanidine aptamers are present in vertebrate RNAs associated with calcium signaling and neuromuscular function
Abstract Guanidine is a protein denaturant that is a widely used constituent in explosives, plastics, and resins. Its effects on muscle contraction were initially reported in 1876, which eventually led to the use of guanidine as a treatment for certain ataxia symptoms such as those caused by Lambert...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62815-6 |
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| author | Kumari Kavita Aya Narunsky Jessica J. Mohsen Isha Mahadeshwar Michael G. Mohsen Yu-Shin Chang Ronald R. Breaker |
| author_facet | Kumari Kavita Aya Narunsky Jessica J. Mohsen Isha Mahadeshwar Michael G. Mohsen Yu-Shin Chang Ronald R. Breaker |
| author_sort | Kumari Kavita |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Guanidine is a protein denaturant that is a widely used constituent in explosives, plastics, and resins. Its effects on muscle contraction were initially reported in 1876, which eventually led to the use of guanidine as a treatment for certain ataxia symptoms such as those caused by Lambert-Eaton disease. However, its mechanisms of therapeutic action remained unknown. Guanidine was recently found to be a widespread natural metabolite through the discovery of four bacterial riboswitch classes that selectively recognize this compound. Here, we report the discovery and biochemical validation of vertebrate members of guanidine-I and -II riboswitch aptamer classes that are associated with numerous genes relevant to neuromuscular function, mostly involved in Ca2+ transport or signaling. These findings suggest that guanidine is a widely used signaling molecule that serves as an additional layer of regulation of genes relevant to neuromuscular disorders. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6d5dec121e664e73af421e67c82cdf9d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-6d5dec121e664e73af421e67c82cdf9d2025-08-20T03:46:28ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-08-0116111210.1038/s41467-025-62815-6Guanidine aptamers are present in vertebrate RNAs associated with calcium signaling and neuromuscular functionKumari Kavita0Aya Narunsky1Jessica J. Mohsen2Isha Mahadeshwar3Michael G. Mohsen4Yu-Shin Chang5Ronald R. Breaker6Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale UniversityDepartment of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale UniversityDepartment of Chemistry, Yale UniversityDepartment of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale UniversityDepartment of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale UniversityDepartment of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale UniversityDepartment of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale UniversityAbstract Guanidine is a protein denaturant that is a widely used constituent in explosives, plastics, and resins. Its effects on muscle contraction were initially reported in 1876, which eventually led to the use of guanidine as a treatment for certain ataxia symptoms such as those caused by Lambert-Eaton disease. However, its mechanisms of therapeutic action remained unknown. Guanidine was recently found to be a widespread natural metabolite through the discovery of four bacterial riboswitch classes that selectively recognize this compound. Here, we report the discovery and biochemical validation of vertebrate members of guanidine-I and -II riboswitch aptamer classes that are associated with numerous genes relevant to neuromuscular function, mostly involved in Ca2+ transport or signaling. These findings suggest that guanidine is a widely used signaling molecule that serves as an additional layer of regulation of genes relevant to neuromuscular disorders.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62815-6 |
| spellingShingle | Kumari Kavita Aya Narunsky Jessica J. Mohsen Isha Mahadeshwar Michael G. Mohsen Yu-Shin Chang Ronald R. Breaker Guanidine aptamers are present in vertebrate RNAs associated with calcium signaling and neuromuscular function Nature Communications |
| title | Guanidine aptamers are present in vertebrate RNAs associated with calcium signaling and neuromuscular function |
| title_full | Guanidine aptamers are present in vertebrate RNAs associated with calcium signaling and neuromuscular function |
| title_fullStr | Guanidine aptamers are present in vertebrate RNAs associated with calcium signaling and neuromuscular function |
| title_full_unstemmed | Guanidine aptamers are present in vertebrate RNAs associated with calcium signaling and neuromuscular function |
| title_short | Guanidine aptamers are present in vertebrate RNAs associated with calcium signaling and neuromuscular function |
| title_sort | guanidine aptamers are present in vertebrate rnas associated with calcium signaling and neuromuscular function |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62815-6 |
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