Networks of interactions in the secondary and tertiary structure of ribosomal RNA

We construct four different structural networks for both the secondary and tertiary structures of the 16S and 23S ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) in the high-resolution crystal structures of the Thermus thermophilus 30S and Haloarcula marismortui 50S ribosomal subunits, and investigate topological characteristics of the rRNA structures by determining relevant measures, such as the characteristic path length, the clustering coefficient, and the helix betweenness. This study reveals that the 23S rRNA network is more compact than the 16S rRNA networks, reflecting the more globular overall structure of the 23S rRNA relative to the 16S rRNA. In particular, the large number of tertiary interactions in the 23S rRNA tends to cluster, accounting for its small-world network properties. In addition, although the rRNA networks are not the scale-free network, their helix betweenness has a power-law distribution and is correlated with the phylogenetic conservation of helices. The higher the helix betweenness, the more conserved the helix. These results suggest a potential role of the rRNA network as a new quantitative approach in rRNA research.