Figure 2.

Mechanistic examples of enzymatic and chemical probing of RNA structure. These include: (i) RNase A cleavage of the RNA backbone; (ii) metal-assisted cleavage of the RNA backbone with the subsequent formation of a 2′,3′-cyclic phosphate product; (iii) the methylation of adenine by dimethylsulfate (DMS); and (iv) a 2′-adduct formation with the SHAPE reagent (1M7). Chemical groups important for each reaction are labeled.