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A magnesium ion core at the heart of a ribozyme domain

Nature Structural Biology volume 4, pages 553–558 (1997)Cite this article

Abstract

Large ribozymes require divalent metal ions to fold. We show here that the tertiary structure of the Tetrahymena group I intron P4-P6 domain nucleates around a magnesium ion core. In the domain crystal structure, five magnesium ions bind in a three-helix junction at the centre of the molecule. Single atom changes in any one of four magnesium sites in this three-helix junction destroy folding of the entire 160-nucleotide P4-P6 domain. The magnesium ion core may be the RNA counterpart to the protein hydrophobic core, burying parts of the RNA molecule in the native structure.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06520, USA

    Jamie H. Cate, Raven L. Hanna & Jennifer A. Doudna

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  1. Jamie H. Cate
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  2. Raven L. Hanna
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  3. Jennifer A. Doudna
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Cate, J., Hanna, R. & Doudna, J. A magnesium ion core at the heart of a ribozyme domain. Nat Struct Mol Biol 4, 553–558 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsb0797-553

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