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. 2007 Mar 16;315(5818):1549-53.
doi: 10.1126/science.1136231.

The structural basis of ribozyme-catalyzed RNA assembly

Michael P Robertson  1 , William G Scott
Affiliations
Free article

The structural basis of ribozyme-catalyzed RNA assembly

Michael P Robertson et al. Science. .
Free article

Abstract

Life originated, according to the RNA World hypothesis, from self-replicating ribozymes that catalyzed ligation of RNA fragments. We have solved the 2.6 angstrom crystal structure of a ligase ribozyme that catalyzes regiospecific formation of a 5' to 3' phosphodiester bond between the 5'-triphosphate and the 3'-hydroxyl termini of two RNA fragments. Invariant residues form tertiary contacts that stabilize a flexible stem of the ribozyme at the ligation site, where an essential magnesium ion coordinates three phosphates. The structure of the active site permits us to suggest how transition-state stabilization and a general base may catalyze the ligation reaction required for prebiotic RNA assembly.

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