N⁶ -Isopentenyladenosine in RNA Determines the Cleavage Site of Endonuclease Deoxyribozymes.

ABSTRACT: RNA-cleaving deoxyribozymes can serve as selective sensors and catalysts to examine the modification state of RNA. However, site-specific endonuclease deoxyribozymes that selectively cleave post-transcriptionally modified RNA are extremely rare and their specificity over unmodified RNA is low. We report that the native tRNA modification N⁶ -isopentenyladenosine (i⁶ A) strongly enhances the specificity and has the power to reconfigure the active site of an RNA-cleaving deoxyribozyme. Using in vitro selection, we identified a DNA enzyme that cleaves i⁶ A-modified RNA at least 2500-fold faster than unmodified RNA. Another deoxyribozyme shows unique and unprecedented behaviour by shifting its cleavage site in the presence of the i⁶ A RNA modification

SUBMITTER: Liaqat A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7589339 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature