| Cobalamin riboswitch | |
|---|---|
| Predicted secondary structure and sequence conservation of Cobalamin | |
| Identifiers | |
| Symbol | Cobalamin |
| Rfam | RF00174 |
| Other data | |
| RNA type | Cis-reg; riboswitch |
| Domain(s) | Bacteria |
| SO | 0000035 |
Cobalamin riboswitch is a cis-regulatory element which is widely distributed in 5' untranslated regions of vitamin B12 (Colbalamin) related genes in bacteria.[1] Riboswitches are metabolite binding domains within certain messenger RNAs (mRNAs) that serve as precision sensors for their corresponding targets. Allosteric rearrangement of mRNA structure is mediated by ligand binding, and this results in modulation of gene expression or translation of mRNA to yield a protein. Cobalamin in the form of adenosylcobalamin (Ado-CBL) is known to repress expression of proteins for vitamin B12 biosynthesis via a post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism that involves direct binding of Ado-CBL to 5' UTRs in relevant genes, preventing ribosome binding and translation of those genes. Before proof of riboswitch function, a conserved sequence motif called the B12 box[2] was identified that corresponds to a part of the cobalamin riboswitch,[1] and a more complete conserved structure was identified.[3][4] Variants of the riboswitch consensus have been identified.[5]