PreQ1 riboswitch response. (A) Secondary structure model. (B) Verification of the equilibrium shift from equally populated, competing hairpins in the expression platform (fold A: fold B = 50∶50) toward dominant formation of the downstream hairpin (fold A′: fold B′ = 20∶80) upon ligand binding by 19F NMR spectroscopy. Conditions: cRNA = 0.2 mM, cpreQ1 = 25 mM, 25 mM sodium arsenate buffer, H2O/D2O = 9/1, pH 6.5, 298 K.