Analyses of the RNA metabolism of hyperthermophilic archaea highlight the efficiency of regulatory RNAs and RNA-guided processes at extreme temperatures. These organisms must overcome the intrinsic thermolability of RNAs. Elevated levels of RNA modifications and structured GC-rich regions are observed for many universal noncoding RNA families. Guide RNAs are often protected from degradation by their presence within ribonucleoprotein complexes. Modification and ligation of RNA termini can be employed to impair exonucleolytic degradation. Finally, antisense strand transcription promotes the formation of RNA duplexes and can be used to stabilize RNA regions. In our review, we provide examples of these RNA stabilization mechanisms that have been observed in hyperthermophilic archaeal model organisms.
Keywords: C/D box sRNAs; RNA structure; RNA-seq; archaea; modifications.
© 2019 New York Academy of Sciences.