Although RNA is generally thought to be a passive genetic blueprint, some RNA molecules,
called ribozymes, have intrinsic enzyme-like activity—they can catalyse chemical reactions …

Self-cleaving ribozymes were discovered 30 years ago, but their biological distribution and
catalytic mechanisms are only beginning to be defined. Each ribozyme family is defined by a …

The natural RNA enzymes catalyse phosphate-group transfer and peptide-bond formation.
Initially, metal ions were proposed to supply the chemical versatility that nucleotides lack. In …

▪ Abstract Introns are removed from precursor messenger RNAs in the cell nucleus by a
large ribonucleoprotein complex called the spliceosome. The spliceosome contains five …

Ribozymes enhance chemical reaction rates using many of the same catalytic strategies as
protein enzymes. In the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) ribozyme, site-specific self-cleavage of …

The discovery of RNA-catalyzed phosphodiester bond cleavage by Cech and Altman in
1982− 1983 shattered the paradigm of protein-dependent biological catalysis and opened …

The speed at which RNA molecules decompose is a critical determinant of many biological
processes, including those directly involved in the storage and expression of genetic …

The ability of nucleic acids to catalyze reactions (as well as store and transmit information) is
important for both basic and applied science, the first in the context of molecular evolution …

Several small ribozymes carry out self-cleavage at a specific phosphodiester bond to yield 2
', 3 '-cyclic phosphate and 5 '-hydroxyl termini. Prior mechanistic and structural studies on the …

Dendritic cells (DCs) are essential for the establishment of immune responses against
pathogens and tumour cells, and thus have great potential as tools for vaccination and …