金属酵素リボザイムによる分子認識と切断機構

抄録

The structure of a hammerhead ribozyme does not change significantly in the presence or absence of Mg²⁺ ions, an indication that the role of Mg²⁺ ions is catalytic rather than structural. Accordingly, kinetics and molecular orbital calculations indicate that ribozymes are metalloenzymes. Kinetic analysis supports the idea that an important part of the binding energy (reflected in K_d) is utilized to provide the driving force for catalysis, so that the observed binding energy (K_m reflected in) represents only what is left over after this utilization. It is also possible to produce nuclease-resistant ribozymes.