Recent studies of ribonuclease P

Abstract

RNase P is an essential enzyme that is required for the biosynthesis of tRNA. It is composed of RNA and protein subunits. The RNA subunit of the enzyme derived from eubacterial sources can carry out the catalytic function by itself in vitro. Current studies of RNase P focus on structure-function relationships with respect to interactions of the RNA subunit with its substrates and with respect to the determination of the kinetic parameters of the reaction, the role of the protein component, and the rules governing recognition of substrates.