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Volume 1 Issue 1, June 2005

General acid catalysis by a ribozyme. Das & Piccirilli show (p 45) that a hepatitis delta virus ribozyme uses a cytosine nucleobase as a general acid catalyst of phosphodiester bond cleavage (see also News & Views by Strobel, p 5). Cover art by Lewis Long, watercolor and ink on paper.

In This Issue

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Editorial

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News & Views

  • Ribozymes are enzymes comprised of RNA that fold into three-dimensional structures and that catalyze chemical reactions central to all cells. A new study shows that ribozymes, like proteins, may use general acid catalysis as part of their catalytic toolkit.

    • Scott A Strobel
    News & Views
  • Nitric oxide signaling requires that the heme of soluble guanylate cyclase bind NO preferentially to O2. Engineering of the enzyme's active site reveals a molecular basis for NO binding selectivity.

    • Thomas G Spiro
    News & Views
  • ComX is a post-translationally modified peptide involved in quorum sensing in Bacillus subtilis. The structure of ComX has now been shown to contain a geranylated tryptophan with an unusual tricyclic architecture.

    • Richard A Gibbs
    News & Views
  • The fate of cells depends on a delicate balance of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins. Small-molecule inhibitors of anti-apoptotic protein-protein interactions promote apoptosis in cancer cells.

    • Gerhard Wagner
    News & Views
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Review Article

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Brief Communication

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Letter

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Article

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