The Structure of a Nucleolytic Ribozyme That Employs a Catalytic Metal Ion

Overview

Journal Nat Chem Biol

Specialties Biochemistry
Biology
Chemistry

Date 2017 Mar 7

PMID 28263963

Citations 31

Authors

Yijin Liu

Timothy J Wilson

David M J Lilley

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The TS ribozyme (originally called "twister sister") is a catalytic RNA. We present a crystal structure of the ribozyme in a pre-reactive conformation. Two co-axial helical stacks are organized by a three-way junction and two tertiary contacts. Five divalent metal ions are directly coordinated to RNA ligands, making important contributions to the RNA architecture. The scissile phosphate lies in a quasihelical loop region that is organized by a network of hydrogen bonding. A divalent metal ion is directly bound to the nucleobase 5' to the scissile phosphate, with an inner-sphere water molecule positioned to interact with the O2' nucleophile. The rate of ribozyme cleavage correlated in a log-linear manner with divalent metal ion pK, consistent with proton transfer in the transition state, and we propose that the bound metal ion is a likely general base for the cleavage reaction. Our data indicate that the TS ribozyme functions predominantly as a metalloenzyme.

Citing Articles

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