Abstract
RNA enzymes are postulated to have catalysed all chemical reactions in the earliest living cells. This idea is now investigated in a search for alkyl transferases from a pool of random sequence RNAs. Selection for self-biotinylation yields a transfer RNA-like ribozyme that efficiently catalyses carbon–nitrogen bond formation. Ribozymes can thus promote reactions other than those involving the RNA sugar–phosphate backbone, suggesting that RNA may be capable of a broad range of catalytic activities.
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Wilson, C., Szostak, J. In vitro evolution of a self-alkylatlng ribozyme. Nature 374, 777–782 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/374777a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/374777a0
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