The Biogenesis of SRP RNA Is Modulated by an RNA Folding Intermediate Attained during Transcription (Molecular Cell)

SRP RNA begins to fold during its synthesis by RNA polymerase. Fukuda et al. find that SRP RNA exhibits a robust co-transcriptional folding pattern, including (1) the initial formation of a non-native obligatory intermediate that enables RNA maturation and (2) its eventual resolution into the native fold that confers SRP functionality.