title: Unexpected diversity of RNase P, an ancient tRNA processing enzyme: challenges and prospects.
abstract: For an enzyme functioning predominantly in a seemingly housekeeping role of 5' tRNA maturation, RNase P displays a remarkable diversity in subunit make-up across the three domains of life. Despite the protein complexity of this ribonucleoprotein enzyme increasing dramatically from bacteria to eukarya, the catalytic function rests with the RNA subunit during evolution. However, the recent demonstration of a protein-only human mitochondrial RNase P has added further intrigue to the compositional variability of this enzyme. In this review, we discuss some possible reasons underlying the structural diversity of the active sites, and use them as thematic bases for elaborating new directions to understand how functional variations might have contributed to the complex evolution of RNase P.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
authors.forename: Lien B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Agustín
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vioque
authors.forename: Leif A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Kirsebom
authors.forename: Venkat
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gopalan
mesh_terms: D001105:Archaea / Q000201:enzymology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000201:enzymology; D002384:Catalysis; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000201:enzymology; D015388:Organelles / Q000201:enzymology; D043262:Ribonuclease P / Q000737:chemistry*; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D043262:Ribonuclease P