...Dulce Alonso; Alfonso Mondragón Ribozymes are folded catalytic RNA molecules that perform important biological functions. Since the discovery of the first RNA with catalytic activity in 1982, a large number of ribozymes have been reported. While most catalytic RNA molecules act alone, some RNA...

...S.C. Walker; T.V. Aspinall; J.M.B. Gordon; J.M. Avis In yeast, RNase MRP (mitochondrial RNA processing), a ribonucleoprotein precursor rRNA processing enzyme, possesses one putatively catalytic RNA and ten protein subunits and is highly related to RNase P. Structural analysis of the MRP RNA...

... of this catalytic RNA, taking into consideration the recently defined structural requirements for an efficient cleavage under physiological magnesium ion concentrations. In this search, we find, apart from the known examples, several hundreds of motifs in organisms of all kingdoms of life. In a first set...

...A. R. Ferré-D'Amaré; P. B. Rupert The hairpin ribozyme is one of four known natural catalytic RNAs that carry out sequence-specific cleavage of RNA. It is of particular biochemical interest because, unlike ‘classic’ ribozymes, such as the group I intron, it appears not to employ metal ions...

... that the hammerhead and hairpin ribozymes may have un- expected similarities in their reaction mechanisms, and raises the possibility that their structural dif- ferences may be more superficial than previously believed. Key words: catalytic RNA, conformational change. metal ion, RNA folding. RNA structure. E...

...T. R. Cech In 1982 we reported the first catalytic RNA or ribozyme: the self-splicing intron of the Tetrahymena pre-rRNA. Additional examples of natural ribozymes were soon found, and research in the field focused on their enzymic mechanism and secondary and tertiary structure. Ribozymes identified...