Ribozymes articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The diverse functional roles of ribozymes (RNAs with enzymatic activity) continue to be uncovered. Here, the authors identify and characterize a subgroup of minimal hepatitis delta virus (HDV)-like ribozymes – termed Theta ribozymes -, which they show process viral tRNA transcripts, and appearing crucial for lytic gene expression in recoded phages.

    • Kasimir Kienbeck
    • , Lukas Malfertheiner
    •  & Roland K. O. Sigel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    RNA viruses are defined by linear RNA genomes encoding an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, while viroid-like elements consist of small, single-stranded, circular RNA genomes that, in some cases, encode self-cleaving catalytic RNAs. Here, the authors identify over 20,000 candidate viroid-like elements, and show that infectious agents of fungi display hybrid features of viroid-like RNAs and RNA viruses.

    • Marco Forgia
    • , Beatriz Navarro
    •  & Marcos de la Peña

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Non-equilibrium conditions at heated water-air interfaces can model Hadean microenvironments. Here, the authors show that such conditions enable one-pot synthesis, strand release and folding of functional RNAs similar to modern biological systems.

    • Annalena Salditt
    • , Leonie Karr
    •  & Hannes Mutschler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Tetrahymena ribozyme changes conformations to perform its self-splicing function. Here, the authors capture six structural snapshots of ribozyme during the second step of self-splicing from a single specimen, revealing the structural basis of how it promotes and coordinates self-splicing reactions.

    • Shanshan Li
    • , Michael Z. Palo
    •  & Kaiming Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Maturation of the ribosomal peptidyl transferase center (PTC) is mediated by universally conserved GTPases. Here, cryo-EM structures of mitochondrial ribosomal large subunit assembly intermediates and of mature ribosomes offer insight into the roles of several assembly factors, including GTPBP6’s role in both ribosome biogenesis and recycling.

    • Hauke S. Hillen
    • , Elena Lavdovskaia
    •  & Ricarda Richter-Dennerlein

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Autocatalytic networks may have started evolution during the origin of life. Here, the authors establish a landscape of thousands of RNA networks by barcoded sequencing and microfluidics, and derive relationships between topology and Darwinian properties such as variation and differential reproduction.

    • Sandeep Ameta
    • , Simon Arsène
    •  & Philippe Nghe

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ribozyme-based RNase MRP is an essential eukaryotic enzyme involved in the maturation of rRNA and is evolutionarily related to RNase P. Here, the authors present the 3.0 Å cryo-EM structure of the S. cerevisiae RNase MRP holoenzyme, a 450 kDa ribonucleoprotein complex and compare it with RNase P.

    • Anna Perederina
    • , Di Li
    •  & Andrey S. Krasilnikov

  • Article
    | Open Access

    RNA sequence-structure-function relationships can be studied via assays of variant activity. The authors developed a method to systematically determine ribozyme variant kinetics, using it to map double-mutant interactions and show that cleavage rate drives sequence conservation in the glmS ribozyme.

    • Johan O. L. Andreasson
    • , Andrew Savinov
    •  & William J. Greenleaf

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Synthetic RNA-based devices can dynamically control a wide range of processes. Here the authors develop a quantitative and high-throughput mammalian cell-based RNA-seq assay to efficiently engineer ribozyme switches.

    • Joy S. Xiang
    • , Matias Kaplan
    •  & Christina D. Smolke

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Membraneless compartments have been theorized to be prebiotic micro-compartments as they spontaneously encapsulate RNA and proteins. Here, the authors report membraneless compartments can enhance RNA chemistries, affecting template directed RNA polymerization and stimulating nucleic acid enzymes.

    • Raghav R. Poudyal
    • , Rebecca M. Guth-Metzler
    •  & Philip C. Bevilacqua

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The recognition of the mRNA codon by the tRNA anticodon is crucial for protein synthesis. Here the authors introduce non-standard nucleotides in bacterial and eukaryotic mRNA to reveal the minimal hydrogen bond requirement of codon-anticodon interaction for efficient and accurate translation.

    • Thomas Philipp Hoernes
    • , Klaus Faserl
    •  & Matthias David Erlacher

  • Article
    | Open Access

    RNA-cleaving DNA enzymes are catalytic DNA that can cleave RNA in a sequence-specific manner. Here, the authors report three crystal structures of the 8–17 DNAzyme that include the pre-catalytic state of the RNA cleavage reaction, providing insight into the catalytic mechanism and may guide the rational design of DNAzymes.

    • Hehua Liu
    • , Xiang Yu
    •  & Jianhua Gan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Short hairpin RNAs are widely used to produce small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) for gene silencing. Here, the authors show that an alternative siRNA precursor in the presence of a self-cleaving ribozyme has enhanced silencing activity and reduced off-target effects, providing a potential RNAi tool.

    • Renfu Shang
    • , Fengjuan Zhang
    •  & Ligang Wu

  • Article |

    Twisters ribozymes are a recently discovered class of non-coding, site-specific self-cleaving RNAs. Here Ren et al. describe a crystal structure of the env22twister ribozyme, propose an ion coordination and catalytic mechanism, and contrast their findings with those of two recently reported twister structures.

    • Aiming Ren
    • , Marija Košutić
    •  & Dinshaw J. Patel

  • Article |

    A crucial transition in the origin of life was the emergence of self-replicating RNA and its compartmentalization within protocellular structures. Here it is shown that the physicochemical properties of ice, a simple medium widespread on a temperate early earth, could have mediated this transition.

    • James Attwater
    • , Aniela Wochner
    •  & Philipp Holliger

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