Improved deoxyribozymes for synthesis of covalently branched DNA and RNA.

ABSTRACT: A covalently branched nucleic acid can be synthesized by joining the 2'-hydroxyl of the branch-site ribonucleotide of a DNA or RNA strand to the activated 5'-phosphorus of a separate DNA or RNA strand. We have previously used deoxyribozymes to synthesize several types of branched nucleic acids for experiments in biotechnology and biochemistry. Here, we report in vitro selection experiments to identify improved deoxyribozymes for synthesis of branched DNA and RNA. Each of the new deoxyribozymes requires Mn²(+) as a cofactor, rather than Mg²(+) as used by our previous branch-forming deoxyribozymes, and each has an initially random region of 40 rather than 22 or fewer combined nucleotides. The deoxyribozymes all function by forming a three-helix-junction (3HJ) complex with their two oligonucl

SUBMITTER: Lee CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3017605 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature