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The road to RNase P.

¹Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, Kline Biology Tower, 219 Prospect Street, New Haven, Conneticut 06520-8103, USA. sidney. altman@yale.edu.

Nature Structural Biology

|October 4, 2000

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Sidney Altman discovered that ribonuclease P (RNase P) is a catalytic RNA enzyme essential for tRNA biosynthesis. This finding revealed RNA

Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Molecular Biology
Genetics

Background:

The 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recognized the discovery of catalytic RNA properties.
Thomas Cech studied RNA splicing in Tetrahymena thermophila, observing protein-free in vitro splicing.
Sidney Altman investigated ribonuclease P (RNase P), a crucial enzyme in transfer RNA (tRNA) synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide a personal account of the research leading to the discovery of ribonuclease P's catalytic activity.
To elucidate the role of RNase P in processing tRNA precursors.
To highlight the significance of RNA as a biological catalyst.

Main Methods:

Investigated the enzymatic activity of ribonuclease P (RNase P).
Characterized RNase P's role in cleaving tRNA precursors.

Related Experiment Videos

Studied the in vitro splicing of RNA in Tetrahymena thermophila.

Main Results:

Demonstrated that RNase P is a ribonucleoprotein with endonuclease activity.
Showed that RNase P specifically cleaves tRNA precursors to release mature tRNAs.
Established that RNase P is essential for tRNA biosynthesis in all cells and organelles.

Conclusions:

RNA molecules can possess catalytic activity, challenging the protein-centric view of enzymes.
Ribonuclease P (RNase P) functions as a catalytic RNA in tRNA maturation.
The discovery of catalytic RNA opened new avenues in molecular biology and medicine.