RNA loop-loop interactions are a prevalent motif in the formation of tertiary structure and are well suited to trigger molecular recognition between RNA molecules. We determined the stabilities of several loop-loop interactions with a constant 6 bp core sequence and varying unpaired flanking nucleotides and found that the flanking bases have a strong influence on the stability and ion dependence of the kissing complex. In general, the stabilities determined in 1 M Na+ are equivalent to those in the presence of near physiological Mg2+ concentrations. Therefore we further tested whether the stabilities determined in vitro and within yeast cells correlate, using a recently developed yeast RNA-hybrid system. For the majority of the loop types analyzed here, the melting temperatures determined in vitro are in good agreement with the relative ß-galactosidase activity in yeast cells, showing that data derived from in vitro measurements reflect in vivo properties. The most stable interactions are the naturally occurring HIV-1 DIS MAL and LAI derived loops with the motif (5' AA/GN6A 3'), emphasizing the crucial role of stable kissing complexes in HIV genome dimerization. Œ The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.