ABSTRACT
Licorice is a common herb which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. More than 20 triterpenoids and nearly 300 flavonoids have been isolated from licorice. Recent studies have shown that these metabolites possess many pharmacological activities, such as antiviral, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor and other activities. This paper provides a summary of the antiviral and antimicrobial activities of licorice. The active components and the possible mechanisms for these activities are summarized in detail. This review will be helpful for the further studies of licorice for its potential therapeutic effects as an antiviral or an antimicrobial agent.
ABSTRACT
Ligand-responsive RNA mechanical switches represent a new class of simple switching modules that adopt well-defined ligand-free and bound conformational states, distinguishing them from metabolite-sensing riboswitches. Initially discovered in the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of hepatitis C virus (HCV), these RNA switch motifs were found in the genome of diverse other viruses. Although large variations are seen in sequence and local secondary structure of the switches, their function in viral translation initiation that requires selective ligand recognition is conserved. We recently determined the crystal structure of an RNA switch from Seneca Valley virus (SVV) which is able to functionally replace the switch of HCV. The switches from both viruses recognize identical cognate ligands despite their sequence dissimilarity. Here, we describe the discovery of 7 new switches in addition to the previously established 5 examples. We highlight structural and functional features unique to this class of ligand-responsive RNA mechanical switches and discuss implications for therapeutic development and the construction of RNA nanostructures.