Synthetic RNA as Molecular Tools for the Structural and Functional Study of enzymes.

.    The role of RNAs in cellular processes is one of the most dynamic areas in Biology. In addition to their key functions in protein synthesis, new RNA activities are constantly discovered. To study these different biological processes, in particular, the enzymes that interact with these RNAs, we have developed synthetic methodologies to obtain stable RNAs, reactive RNAs or peptidyl-conjugates. The use of nucleoside and nucleotides chemistry, solid support synthesis, enzymatic reactions or post-functionalization methods allowed us to obtain a large variety of modified RNAs, which will be presented here. These RNA analogs were used for the study of Fem aminoacyl transferases, a tRNA-dependent enzyme that catalyze an essential step in peptidoglycan synthesis of the bacterial wall and for the study of m⁶A-RNA methyltransferases.