Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1994090 | Methods | 2009 | 19 Pages |
Abstract
Site-bound metal ions participate in the catalytic mechanisms of many ribozymes. Understanding these mechanisms therefore requires knowledge of the specific ligands on both substrate and ribozyme that coordinate these catalytic metal ions. A number of different structural and biochemical strategies have been developed and refined for identifying metal ion binding sites within ribozymes, and for assessing the catalytic contributions of the metal ions bound at those sites. We review these approaches and provide examples of their application, focusing in particular on metal ion rescue experiments and their roles in the construction of the transition state models for the Tetrahymena group I and RNase P ribozymes.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Biochemistry
Authors
John K. Frederiksen, Joseph A. Piccirilli,