Visualizing RNA base-pairing probabilities with RNAbow diagrams

The partition functions of wild-type (red) and the U22G mutant (blue) 5′ UTR of ferritin light-chain mRNA are depicted with Difference RNAbows. The colors are set proportional to the difference between the clusters such that common elements are black, while the distinct elements are either red or blue. The dramatic effect of this single nucleotide polymorphism on the secondary structure is evident. Other base changes within loop regions have less influence.