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CATALYTIC RNA

A new RNA performs old chemistry

Nature Chemical Biology volume 18, pages 438–439 (2022)Cite this article

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Natural self-cleaving RNAs employ a wide range of catalytic strategies, but it is not known whether artificial ribozymes are capable of the same catalytic diversity. New structures of a methyltransferase ribozyme reveal the potential variety of RNA reactions and mechanisms.

RNA catalysts face a challenge: accelerating reaction rates with a limited set of functional groups. Naturally occurring phosphoryl transfer ribozymes overcome this obstacle using a mechanistic repertoire that rivals that of protein enzymes. In-vitro-selected ribozymes are capable of catalyzing a much larger variety of reactions, but limited studies have observed only catalysis through positioning and electrostatics. In this issue of Nature Chemical Biology, two independent papers from Scheitl et al.1 and Deng et al.2 each describe crystal structures of a methyltransferase ribozyme and imply a general acid catalytic mechanism involving a protonated RNA nucleobase.

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Fig. 1: Catalysis by MTR1.

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and the Institute of Biomolecular Design and Discovery, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    David A. Hiller & Scott A. Strobel

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  1. David A. Hiller
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  2. Scott A. Strobel
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Correspondence to Scott A. Strobel.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Hiller, D.A., Strobel, S.A. A new RNA performs old chemistry. Nat Chem Biol 18, 438–439 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-022-00998-5

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