Tertiary RNA folding-targeted drug screening strategy using a protein nanopore

Abstract

Bacterial riboswitch RNAs are attractive targets for novel antibiotics against antibiotic-resistant superbacteria. Their binding to cognate metabolites is essential for the regulation of bacterial gene expression. Despite the importance of RNAs as therapeutic targets, the development of RNA-targeted, small-molecule drugs is limited by current biophysical methods. Here, we monitored the specific interaction between the adenine-sensing riboswitch aptamer domain (ARS) and adenine at the single-molecule level using α-hemolysin (αHL) nanopores. During adenine-induced tertiary folding, adenine-bound ARS intermediates exhibited characteristic nanopore events, including a two-level ionic current blockade and a ∼ 5.6-fold longer dwell time than that of free RNA. In a proof-of-concept experiment, tertiary RNA folding-targeted drug screening was performed using a protein nanopore, which resulted in the discovery of three new ARS-targeting hit compounds from a natural compound library. Taken together, these results reveal that αHL nanopores are a valuable platform for ultrasensitive, label-free, and single-molecule-based drug screening against therapeutic RNA targets.