The early folding intermediates of the tetrahymena ribozyme are kinetically trapped

The "RNA folding problem" is a fundamental and challenging question in contemporary biophysics. Understanding the mechanism(s) by which RNA molecules fold into compact structures capable of biological activity is important because RNA folding is closely tied to cellular regulation and metabolism and catalytic RNAs are potential reagents for gene therapy. Unlike the "protein folding problem" which has been under study for many decades, the study of RNA tertiary structure stability and folding is a relatively new field of endeavor. Thus, a detailed understanding of both the thermodynamics and kinetics of RNA folding are only now beginning to emerge.