This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: An international research team led by TU Darmstadt Professor Beatrix Süß, working in close collaboration with partners in Germany and Denmark, has elucidated how an RNA switch newly developed at TU Darmstadt recognizes the antibiotic doxycycline and thereby selectively activates or deactivates gene expression. This makes doxycycline a promising basis for synthetic biology and, potentially, for gene therapies as well.
The team recently published its findings in Nature Communications. Doxycycline has been used for decades to treat bacterial infections; it is well tolerated and easily penetrates cells. This is precisely what makes it an ideal signaling molecule: By introducing it into a cell, one can control a specific RNA switch (riboswitch) from the outside.
The switch, known simply as "G12," was developed in the laboratory and functions reliably in both yeast and human cells. The study demonstrates for the first time why it works so well, thereby establishing it as a promising foundation for synthetic biology and, potentially, for gene therapies. RNA is primarily known for carrying genetic information—but it can do much more.
By folding into complex three-dimensional structures, RNA molecules can also act as sensors and regulators within the cell. Riboswitches have existed for billions of years, primarily in bacteria and other microorganisms, where they help cells adapt their metabolism to a changing environment. A natural riboswitch typically recognizes a specific metabolic product.
When this molecule binds, the RNA changes its shape, thereby influencing whether a genetic message is translated into a protein—and thus, in most cases, into a function or property. In this way, a riboswitch acts like a molecular switch that adjusts gene expression in response to a chemical signal. Artificially produced riboswitches apply the same principle to substances that researchers can freely select.
Doxycycline, used as an antibiotic for decades, now takes on a second role: It serves as a chemical trigger that activates the artificial RNA switch G12. Many RNA molecules can bind to small compounds, but only a few can be converted into effective riboswitches. This is because binding alone is not enough: the RNA must also translate molecular recognition into a structural change that is strong enough to influence gene expression.
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