Ribozyme

3D structure of a hammerhead ribozyme

Ribozymes (ribonucleic acid enzymes) are RNA molecules that have the ability to catalyze specific biochemical reactions, including RNA splicing in gene expression, similar to the action of protein enzymes. The 1982 discovery of ribozymes demonstrated that RNA can be both genetic material (like DNA) and a biological catalyst (like protein enzymes), and contributed to the RNA world hypothesis, which suggests that RNA may have been important in the evolution of prebiotic self-replicating systems.[1]

The most common activities of natural or in vitro evolved ribozymes are the cleavage (or ligation) of RNA and DNA and peptide bond formation.[2] For example, the smallest ribozyme known (GUGGC-3') can aminoacylate a GCCU-3' sequence in the presence of PheAMP.[3] Within the ribosome, ribozymes function as part of the large subunit ribosomal RNA to link amino acids during protein synthesis. They also participate in a variety of RNA processing reactions, including RNA splicing, viral replication, and transfer RNA biosynthesis. Examples of ribozymes include the hammerhead ribozyme, the VS ribozyme, leadzyme, and the hairpin ribozyme.

Researchers who are investigating the origins of life through the RNA world hypothesis have been working on discovering a ribozyme with the capacity to self-replicate, which would require it to have the ability to catalytically synthesize polymers of RNA. This should be able to happen in prebiotically plausible conditions with high rates of copying accuracy to prevent degradation of information but also allowing for the occurrence of occasional errors during the copying process to allow for Darwinian evolution to proceed.[4]

Attempts have been made to develop ribozymes as therapeutic agents, as enzymes which target defined RNA sequences for cleavage, as biosensors, and for applications in functional genomics and gene discovery.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference pmid6297745 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Fedor MJ, Williamson JR (May 2005). "The catalytic diversity of RNAs". Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology. 6 (5): 399–412. doi:10.1038/nrm1647. PMID 15956979. S2CID 33304782.
  3. ^ Yarus M (October 2011). "The meaning of a minuscule ribozyme". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences. 366 (1580): 2902–2909. doi:10.1098/rstb.2011.0139. PMC 3158920. PMID 21930581.
  4. ^ Martin LL, Unrau PJ, Müller UF (January 2015). "RNA synthesis by in vitro selected ribozymes for recreating an RNA world". Life. 5 (1). Basel, Switzerland: 247–68. Bibcode:2015Life....5..247M. doi:10.3390/life5010247. PMC 4390851. PMID 25610978.
  5. ^ Hean J, Weinberg MS (2008). "The Hammerhead Ribozyme Revisited: New Biological Insights for the Development of Therapeutic Agents and for Reverse Genomics Applications". In Morris KL (ed.). RNA and the Regulation of Gene Expression: A Hidden Layer of Complexity. Norfolk, England: Caister Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-904455-25-7.

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