New ligase-derived RNA polymerase ribozymes.
The search is underway for a catalytic RNA molecule capable of self-replication. Finding such a ribozyme would lend crucial support to the RNA World hypothesis, which holds that very early life-forms relied on RNA for both replicating and storing genetic information. We previously reported an RNA polymerase isolated from a pool of variants of an existing RNA ligase ribozyme. Here we report eight additional ligase-derived polymerase ribozymes isolated from this pool. Because each of them is a new potential starting point for further in vitro evolution and engineering, together they substantially enrich the set of candidates from which an RNA replicase ribozyme might eventually emerge.
Lawrence
Michael S
MS
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research/Biology Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
Bartel
David P
DP
D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011130:RNA Ligase (ATP) / Q000378:metabolism*; D016337:RNA, Catalytic / Q000378:metabolism*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
D016337:RNA, Catalytic; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012313:RNA; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; D011130:RNA Ligase (ATP)