Construction of a series of several self-cleaving RNA duplexes using synthetic 21-mers

Two fragments (21-mers) containing consensus sequences for the self-cleavage domain in transcripts of satellite DNA of the newt were chemically synthesized and found to be cleaved in the presence of Mg2+. The cleaved product contained the 3'-terminal 2',3'-cyclic phosphate. Twenty-five combinations of partially double-stranded 21-mer RNA which contained different bases within the consensus sequences and at the cleavage sites were tested for self-cleavage. It seemed that guanosine 3'-phosphate was not susceptible to transesterification at the cleavage site.