About

We settled within the UMR 8261 in October 2016 to develop a structural biology team focused on the study of RNA. Our competencies are focused on the biochemistry of protein and RNA as well as on structural biology and biophysics (NMR, X-ray crystallography, modeling, calorimetry, fluorescence). We use and develop different methods of structural biology, including NMR spectroscopy, to study the biogenesis, architecture and interactions of RNAs with various partners, thus allowing them to perform their functions. Indeed, RNAs are major players in many biological processes which often include one or more essential steps in which RNA undergoes structural rearrangements involving, for example, cleavage of an intron, the incorporation of post-transcriptionnal modification or more globally modification of the secondary or tertiary interactions upon binding of a ligand (small molecule, protein or another RNA). These structural changes will eventually act on cell function. The study of these structural changes motivates our work. The projects we are developing mainly concern the study of RNA chaperones and the study of the maturation of RNAs (tRNA and rRNA). Our projects benefit from the recent installation in June 2016 of a Bruker 700 MHz NMR spectrometer (Equipex CACSICE) and a cryoprobe on this spectrometer since January 2018.

RMN Plateform of IBPC
(Scientific director: P. Barraud)