Final answer:
Otis's genomics project on RNA models demonstrates a core principle of RNA biology: the relationship between sequence, structure, and function, showing how minor sequence variations lead to different structures and potentially different functions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The principle of RNA most reflected through Otis's project is the fundamental relationship between sequence, structure, and function in RNA molecules. The slight base pair variations in Otis's RNA models resulted in different secondary structures, demonstrating that even small changes in the nucleotide sequence can lead to significant differences in the resulting RNA structure. RNA molecules adopt their functionally relevant tertiary structures based on intramolecular base pair interactions, which are critical for their biological function.
The synthesis of RNA and its folding into secondary structures with minimal base pair differences illustrates the intricate and sensitive nature of RNA structure formation. Algorithms like Mfold predict RNA structure by evaluating the free energy of multiple possible configurations, but these predictions may differ from in vivo structures due to the complexity of the cellular environment and interactions with other molecules. This complexity is highlighted by the necessity of complementing in silico analyses with experimental methods to obtain accurate structural information.
Moreover, RNA structure and its modularity play a role in evolutionary biology as well. Differences in structures, identified through methods such as Bayesian Network (BN) analysis, can inform us about phylogenetic relationships between RNA molecules. In essence, the diversity of RNA structures and their modularity enable a range of biological functions and evolutionary outcomes.