Crystal structure of an RNA-cleaving DNAzyme

In addition to storage of genetic information, DNA can also catalyze various reactions. RNA-cleaving DNAzymes are the catalytic DNAs discovered the earliest, and they can cleave RNAs in a sequence-specific manner. Owing to their great potential in medical therapeutics, virus control, and gene silencing for disease treatments, RNA-cleaving DNAzymes have been extensively studied; however, the mechanistic understandings of their substrate recognition and catalysis remain elusive. Here, we report three catalytic form 8-17 DNAzyme crystal structures. 8-17 DNAzyme adopts a V-shape fold, and the Pb²⁺ cofactor is bound at the pre-organized pocket. The structures with Pb²⁺ and the modification at the cleavage site captured the pre-catalytic state of the RNA cleavage reaction, illustrating the unexpected Pb²⁺-accelerated catalysis, intrinsic tertiary interactions, and molecular kink at the active site. Our studies reveal that DNA is capable of forming a compacted structure and that the functionality-limited bio-polymer can have a novel solution for a functional need in catalysis.