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The Moco RNA motif is a conserved RNA structure that is presumed to be a 
riboswitch
In molecular biology, a riboswitch is a regulatory segment of a messenger RNA molecule that binds a small molecule, resulting in a change in Translation (biology), production of the proteins encoded by the mRNA. Thus, an mRNA that contains a ribo ...
that binds molybdenum cofactor
A molybdenum cofactor is a biochemical Cofactor (biochemistry), cofactor that contains molybdenum.
Examples include:
* Molybdopterin (or, strictly speaking, the molybdopterin-molybdenum-complex), the organophosphate-dithiolate ligand that binds ...
or the related tungsten cofactor. Genetic experiments support the hypothesis that the Moco RNA motif corresponds to a genetic control element that responds to changing concentrations of molybdenum or tungsten cofactor. As these cofactors are not available in purified form, in vitro binding assays cannot be performed. However, the genetic data, complex structure of the RNA and the failure to detect a protein involved in the regulation suggest that the Moco RNA motif corresponds to a class of riboswitches.
References
External links
* Cis-regulatory RNA elements Riboswitch {{molecular-cell-biology-stub