HARIBOSS: a curated database of RNA-small molecules structures to aid rational drug design

RNA molecules are implicated in numerous fundamental biological processes and many human pathologies, such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, muscular diseases, and bacterial infections. Modulating the mode of action of disease-implicated RNA molecules can lead to the discovery of new therapeutical agents and even address pathologies linked to ‘undruggable’ protein targets. This modulation can be achieved by direct targeting of RNA with small molecules. As of today, only a few RNA-targeting small molecules are used clinically. One of the main obstacles that has hampered the development of a rational drug design protocol to target RNA with small molecules is the lack of a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms at the basis of RNA-small molecule recognition. Here, we present HARIBOSS, a curated collection of RNA-small molecule structures determined by X-ray crystallography, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy and cryo-electron microscopy. HARIBOSS facilitates the exploration of drug-like compounds known to bind RNA, the analysis of ligands and pockets properties, and ultimately the development of in silico strategies to identify RNA-targeting small molecules. HARIBOSS can be explored via a web interface available at http://hariboss.pasteur.cloud.