The IBS AFM team determined by single lncRNA molecule imaging, the conformation of MEG3 under several experimental conditions (native, destabilizing, and denaturing). The attached figure provides a sample of 100 isolated molecules of native MEG3 deposited on mica and air-imaged by atomic force microscopy (AFM) with Peak-Force mode. Compared to AFM imaging of unstructured (poly-A) or known to be structured (group II intron) RNA molecules, the results demonstrate the presence of a particular folding for MEG3 which is consistent with the biochemical and biophysical results of this study led by Marco Marcia from EMBL Grenoble.
The AFM imaging was performed by Jean-Marie Teulon with RNA samples from Tina Uroda. Tina also participated in defining the sample deposition protocol on mica.
Uroda T, Anastasakou E, Rossi A, Teulon J-M, Pellequer J-L, Annibale P, Pessey O, Inga A, Chillon I and Marcia M (2019) Conserved pseudoknots in lncRNA MEG3 are essential for stimulation of the p53 pathway.Mol. Cell 75 : 1-14.