Designability of RNA Targets with Up to Two Length-2 Helices

RNA inverse folding asks for an RNA sequence whose prescribed secondary structure is the unique maximum-base-pair compatible fold. In the four-letter Watson-Crick model (A-U and C-G pairs only, no pseudoknots, and zero minimum base-pair span), Hales et al. introduced a separated-coloring certificate and an even-odd device, while Boury et al. generalized this to modulo-$m$ separability, gave an $O(n 2^m)$ decision algorithm, and guaranteed designability when every helix has length at least 3. We prove that the guarantee still holds when a motif-free target has at most two maximal helices of length 2, no maximal helix of length 1, and all remaining helices of length at least 3. The proof builds on Boury et al.'s local helix-coloring transfers and adds a global counting argument showing that the demands created by at most two short helices can always be coordinated. This is a structural success guarantee for the existing modulo-2 algorithm, not a new general decision capability. The resulting coloring yields an explicit sequence whose every distinct compatible noncrossing fold has fewer pairs. No claim is made for nearest-neighbor thermodynamic energy models. The theorem and supporting lemmas are formalized in Lean 4 against pinned Mathlib and reproduced from a frozen public artifact; the kernel-reported axiom set is $\{\mathrm{propext},\mathrm{Classical.choice},\mathrm{Quot.sound}\}$. The work was developed with foundational generative-AI assistance under the author's direction and has not yet received independent human expert review.

Source: arXiv:2608.25194v1 - http://arxiv.org/abs/2608.25194v1 PDF: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2608.25194v1 Original Link: http://arxiv.org/abs/2608.25194v1