Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is a "signature digestion product"?
  2. What is the source of the RNA sequences?
  3. How are post-transcriptional modifications defined?
  4. Is there any chance of getting false positive or negatives?
  5. Is it possible to detect the signature digestion products of other RNAs with this technique?
  6. Why is my email address necessary?

1) What is a "signature digestion product"?

The enzymatic digestion of an individual tRNA by an RNase (e.g., RNase T1) will generate a number of specific endonuclease digestion products. A comparison of an organism’s complete complement of tRNA RNase digestion products yields a set of unique or “signature” digestion products that ultimately enable the detection of individual tRNAs from a total tRNA pool. [Hossain and Limbach, RNA, 2007,13:295-303]

2) What is the source of the RNA sequences?

RNA sequences are obtained from various public databases (see Links) or from Genbank. The available RNA sequences will be updated regularly.

3) How are post-transcriptional modifications defined?

The list of post-transcriptional modifications and their single letter codes can be found (here).

4) Is there any chance of getting false positive or negatives?

Yes it is. Any RNA sequence that contains posttranscriptionally modified nucleosides which have not yet been identified could lead to false positive or negative results. We will be updating the database regularly with new RNA sequence information to minimize these potential issues.

5) Is it possible to detect the signature digestion products of other RNAs with this technique?

Yes, it is. Signature digestion products of additional noncoding RNAs (e.g., rRNA, miRNA) are being compiled and will be included in updated versions of this database.

6) Why is my email address necessary?

Providing your email address allows us to track the number of users to the site and provide database updates to interested researchers. Compiling this information is useful for maintaining financial support for the database. We respect your privacy and will not sell your email address, nor will we use it for any other purposes besides obtaining aggregate information and providing notices on database updates.