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Essential structures of a self-aminoacylating RNA
Essential structures of a self-aminoacylating RNA.
47
Comparison of six independent self-aminoacylating RNAs derived from selection-amplification, as well as deletion, addition, substitution, fragmentation of one particular RNA, are used to analyze the requirements for the RNA-catalyzed aminoacylation. All elements required for catalysis by one RNA family: sequence at the 3' acceptor end, calcium and magnesium sites, as well as the Phe-AMP substrate site and the essential 5' triphosphate terminus, are closely grouped near a bihelix junction in the parental molecule. All elements of the active center for aminoacyl transfer can therefore be captured by a peripherally-deleted helix junction RNA, defining a much smaller 43 nucleotide ribozyme, of which only 17 nucleotides were initially randomized. It appears that a complex RNA active center can be assembled by specifying unexpectedly few nucleotides, perhaps with a critical contribution from an essential calcium ion.
Illangasekare M, Kovalchuke O, Yarus M
Journal of molecular biology
1997-12-12 00:00
274
4
519-29
Acylation,Adenosine Monophosphate,Base Sequence,Binding Sites,Metals,Models, Molecular,Molecular Sequence Data,Nucleic Acid Conformation,Phenylalanine,RNA,RNA, Catalytic,Sequence Deletion,Metals,RNA, Catalytic,Adenosine Monophosphate,Phenylalanine,RNA
Department of MCD Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309-0347, USA
J. Mol. Biol.
0022-2836
10.1006/jmbi.1997.1414
S0022-2836(97)91414-5
1423
True
9417932
