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Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Single-Molecule Diffusion and Assembly on Polymer-Crowded Lipid Membranes
Published on: July 19, 2022
Effects of molecular crowding on a bimolecular group I ribozyme and its derivative that self-assembles to form
Md Motiar Rahman1, Shigeyoshi Matsumura1, Yoshiya Ikawa1
1Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, University of Toyama, Gofuku 3190, Toyama, 930-8555, Japan; Graduate School of Innovative Life Science, University of Toyama, Gofuku 3190, Toyama, 930-8555, Japan.
Abstract:
In the RNA world, enrichment of self-replicating RNAs would have been beneficial to their survival, amplification, and evolution. Self-assembly of RNAs may be a strategy by which they enrich themselves. We examined the effects of molecular crowding on the activity of a bimolecular group I ribozyme and its derivative that self-assembles to form ribozyme oligomers. In a comparative activity assay using PEG as a molecular crowder, PEG rescued mutations in the parent bimolecular ribozyme more effectively than those in the oligomeric form.
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