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. 2011 Oct 27;366(1580):2929-35.
doi: 10.1098/rstb.2011.0143.

The chemical versatility of RNA

David A Hiller  1 , Scott A Strobel
Affiliations

The chemical versatility of RNA

David A Hiller et al. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. .

Abstract

The ability of RNA to both store genetic information and catalyse chemical reactions has led to the hypothesis that it predates DNA and proteins. While there is no doubt that RNA is capable of storing the genetic information of a primitive organism, only two classes of reactions-phosphoryl transfer and peptide bond formation-have been observed to be catalysed by RNA in nature. However, these naturally occurring ribozymes use a wide range of catalytic strategies that could be applied to other reactions. Furthermore, RNA can bind several cofactors that are used by protein enzymes to facilitate a wide variety of chemical processes. Despite its limited functional groups, these observations indicate RNA is a versatile molecule that could, in principle, catalyse the myriad reactions necessary to sustain life.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The functional groups of RNA. Primary sites of protonation and deprotonation are highlighted. pKas are shown; asterisk indicates the pKa of the conjugate acid.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Catalytic mechanisms of phosphoryl transfer ribozymes. (a) General mechanisms of phosphoryl transfer catalysis. (b) The group I intron, which uses a two-metal ion mechanism. (c) The hammerhead ribozyme, which uses RNA functional groups for acid–base catalysis. (d) The glmS ribozyme, which uses a small molecule cofactor. (b,d) Adapted from Strobel & Cochrane [2].
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Protein cofactors bound by riboswitches.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Peptide bond formation by the ribosome. The first step, nucleophilic attack by the aminoacyl-tRNA, is shown. The 2′-hydroxyl of peptidyl-tRNA may assist in shuttling the amino proton to the leaving group oxygen, carbonyl oxygen or an ordered water molecule (not shown). Adapted from Strobel & Cochrane [2].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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