Our recent publication “3D Heteronuclear Magnetization Transfers for the Establishment of Secondary Structures in SARS-CoV-2-Derived RNAs” by Lucio Frydman and co-workers was highlighted by the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS).
The development of technologies to understand the structures of RNA-based viruses are a key in fighting diseases. “Lucio Frydman and co-workers have developed a novel, exciting approach to obtain this structural information using a highly sensitive 3D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiment, which they have used to tackle structures of SARS-CoV-2 viral fragments (DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c01914). Focusing on the collection and assignment of signals from imino protons involved in the RNA’s Watson−Crick pairing, their Heteronuclear Magnetization Transfer (HETMAT) NMR method is able to detect several connectivities hitherto invisible by conventional NMR methods. The researchers’ highly sensitive HETMAT method enables RNA structural investigations under physiological conditions, a capability that can greatly assist the formulation of drugs targeting SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses.”
