RNA substrate binding site in the catalytic core of the Tetrahymena ribozyme

Nature. 1992 Jul 9;358(6382):123-8. doi: 10.1038/358123a0.

Abstract

In catalysis by group I introns, the helix (P1) containing the RNA cleavage site must be positioned next to the guanosine binding site. We have identified a conserved adenine in the catalytic core that contributes to the stability of this arrangement and propose that it accepts a hydrogen bond from a specific 2'-OH in P1. Such base-backbone tertiary interactions may be generally important to the organization of RNA tertiary structure.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adenine / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Binding Sites
  • Catalysis
  • Guanosine / metabolism
  • Hydrogen Bonding
  • Introns
  • Methylation
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutagenesis
  • Nucleic Acid Conformation
  • Oligonucleotides / metabolism
  • RNA / chemistry
  • RNA / metabolism*
  • RNA, Catalytic / chemistry
  • RNA, Catalytic / genetics
  • RNA, Catalytic / metabolism*
  • Substrate Specificity
  • Tetrahymena thermophila / genetics*
  • Thermodynamics

Substances

  • Oligonucleotides
  • RNA, Catalytic
  • Guanosine
  • RNA
  • Adenine