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Updated: May 2, 2026

Chemical Triphosphorylation of Oligonucleotides
Published on: June 2, 2022
Molecular mechanisms of template-independent RNA polymerization by tRNA nucleotidyltransferases
Kozo Tomita1, Seisuke Yamashita1
1RNA Processing Research Group, Biomedical Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology Tsukuba, Japan.
Abstract:
The universal 3'-terminal CCA sequence of tRNA is built and/or synthesized by the CCA-adding enzyme, CTP:(ATP) tRNA nucleotidyltransferase. This RNA polymerase has no nucleic acid template, but faithfully synthesizes the defined CCA sequence on the 3'-terminus of tRNA at one time, using CTP and ATP as substrates. The mystery of CCA-addition without a nucleic acid template by unique RNA polymerases has long fascinated researchers in the field of RNA enzymology. In this review, the mechanisms of RNA polymerization by the remarkable CCA-adding enzyme and its related enzymes are presented, based on their structural features.
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