Catalytic RNA articles within Nature

Featured

• Letter | 01 December 2014

  Catalysts from synthetic genetic polymers

  Four different XNAs — polymers with backbone chemistries not found in nature, namely, arabino nucleic acids, 2′-fluoroarabino nucleic acids, hexitol nucleic acids and cyclohexene nucleic acids — are found to be able to support the evolution of synthetic enzymes (XNAzymes) that catalyse several chemical reactions.

  • Alexander I. Taylor
  • , Vitor B. Pinheiro
  •  & Philipp Holliger

• Letter | 29 October 2014

  A cross-chiral RNA polymerase ribozyme

  Here, a cross-chiral RNA polymerase is developed—an RNA enzyme that can catalyse the templated polymerization of activated mononucleotides that are of the opposite handedness—shedding light on how RNA-based life could have emerged.

  • Jonathan T. Sczepanski
  •  & Gerald F. Joyce