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Making and Breaking Nucleic Acids: Two-Mg2+-ion Catalysis and Substrate Specificity

Overview
Journal Mol Cell
Publisher Cell Press
Specialty Cell Biology
Date 2006 Apr 8
PMID 16600865
Citations 289
Authors
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Abstract

DNA and a large proportion of RNA are antiparallel duplexes composed of an unvarying phosphosugar backbone surrounding uniformly stacked and highly similar base pairs. How do the myriad of enzymes (including ribozymes) that perform catalysis on nucleic acids achieve exquisite structure or sequence specificity? In all DNA and RNA polymerases and many nucleases and transposases, two Mg2+ ions are jointly coordinated by the nucleic acid substrate and catalytic residues of the enzyme. Based on the exquisite sensitivity of Mg2+ ions to the ligand geometry and electrostatic environment, we propose that two-metal-ion catalysis greatly enhances substrate recognition and catalytic specificity.

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