I have spent some time studying RNA structures. While there is a range of interesting phenomena and functions that certainly deserve understanding from the scientific point of view, I have never encountered a practical use of this knowledge (in terms of disease diagnostics, medications, etc.) Have you? If a practical use of RNA structures is still in the future, what could that be?
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$\begingroup$ Hi @Vadim, the Bioinformatics Stack Exchange system doesn't work well for open-ended, or opinion-based questions. If you have a specific problem, please state that instead. Otherwise, I'd recommend asking this question on the Bioinformatics subreddit. $\endgroup$– gringer ♦Commented Dec 10, 2020 at 0:33
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Please look up flavivirus 'double loops' as you described them previously (post for "Coronavirus RNA') and associated RNA secondary structure anomalies for dengue virus and associated vaccine (Butantan) and the yellow fever virus and its vaccine (17D). If you are aware of "double loops", we must be aware of the association of RNA secondardy structure and attenuated strains, i.e. live vaccines. The point is that modification of the RNA secondary structure is a key strategy in flavivirus attenuation.
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$\begingroup$ This is a good point. Is this a widely used technique or is it limited to flaviviruses? $\endgroup$– Roger V.Commented Mar 8, 2020 at 10:19
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$\begingroup$ I am not aware of this outside flaviviruses, but my interests are restricted to arboviruses, whilst yours are broader. $\endgroup$– M__ ♦Commented Mar 8, 2020 at 11:02
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$\begingroup$ I am more on the mathematical/computational side, and I worked mainly on HIV. $\endgroup$– Roger V.Commented Mar 8, 2020 at 13:02
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1$\begingroup$ When I have a minute I will edit the post to describe the attenuation of flaviviruses via the 3' UTR (untranslated region), this was traditionally about RNA 2ndary structure modelling of pseudoknots. $\endgroup$– M__ ♦Commented Mar 11, 2020 at 7:11