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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Nanomanipulation of Single RNA Molecules by Optical Tweezers
Published on: August 20, 2014
Chemical models for ribozyme action
Tuomas Lönnberg1, Harri Lönnberg
1Department of Chemistry, University of Turku, FIN-20014 Turku, Finland.
Abstract:
Mechanistic studies of the action of catalytic ribonucleic acids, ribozymes, are highly challenging, because even a slight structural change can dramatically affect the chain folding. This, in turn, alters the binding properties of the catalytic core, making identification of the real origin of the observed influence on rate difficult. Unambiguous structure-reactivity correlations based on studies with structurally simplified chemical models may help to distinguish between alternative mechanistic interpretations. The results of such model studies are reviewed. The topics include intramolecular cleavage of RNA phosphodiester bonds by solvent-derived species, general acids/bases and metal ions, effect of molecular environment on their hydrolytic stability and trinucleoside monophosphates as models for large ribozymes.
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