Sequence and structure space of RNA-binding peptides.

Studies of RNA-binding peptides, and recent combinatorial library experiments in particular, have demonstrated that diverse peptide sequences and structures can be used to recognize specific RNA sites. The identification of large numbers of sequences capable of binding to a particular site has provided extensive phylogenetic information used to deduce basic principles of recognition. The high frequency at which RNA-binding peptides are found in large sequence libraries suggests plausible routes to evolve sequence-specific binders, facilitating the design of new binding molecules and perhaps reflecting characteristics of natural evolution. Copyright 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.