Structural mechanism of OAS1 activation by RNA modifications across species (A25*)

• Subject Area: Biochemistry
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 369799452

The innate immune receptor OAS1 recognizes short dsRNA (>18 bp) with a preference for a consensus sequence. However, little is known about the exact nature of the optimal dsRNA ligand for OAS1 activation. This project aims to uncover the mechanism for the proper activation of OAS1 by dsRNA, explaining the effects of modifications, especially 5’triphosphate which was recently described to activate OAS1 by members of this consortium, and RNA length-dependent recognition. We will investigate how conserved our findings are by extending our studies on NA sensing mechanisms in invertebrates OAS species.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 237: Nucleic Acid Immunity
• Applicant Institution: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Carina de Oliveira Mann