IMES-4 RNA motif

The IMES-4 RNA motif is a conserved RNA structure that was identified in marine environmental sequences by metagenomics and bioinformatics.^[1] These RNAs are present in environmental sequences, and as of 2009 are not known to be present in any cultivated species. IMES-4 RNAs are fairly abundant in comparison to ribosomes^[1] in RNAs sampled from the Pacific Ocean.^[2][3]

Consensus secondary structure of IMES-4 RNAs. This figure is adapted from supplementary data of a previous publication.^[1]