biostudies-literatureLihanova YDeutsche ForschungsgemeinschaftPeter und Traudl Engelhorn StiftungFond der Chemischen Industrie e. V1858-1866https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC8583172biostudies-literatureUnknown18(11)Nine distinct classes of self-cleaving ribozymes are known to date, of which the pistol ribozyme class was discovered only 5 years ago. Self-cleaving ribozymes are able to cleave their own phosphodiester backbone at a specific site with rates much higher than those of spontaneous RNA degradation. Our study focuses on a bioinformatically predicted pistol ribozyme from the bacterium <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i>. We provide a biochemical characterization of this ribozyme, which includes an investigation of the effect of various metal ions on ribozyme cleavage and a kinetic analysis of ribozyme activity under increasing Mg²⁺ concentrations and pH. Based on the obtained results, we discuss a possible catalytic role of divalent metal ions. Moreover, we investigated the ligation activRNA biologyBiochemical analysis of cleavage and ligation activities of the pistol ribozyme from <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i>.PMC8583172LU1889/4-1Weinberg CELihanova YfalseBiochemical analysis of cleavage and ligation activities of the pistol ribozyme from <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i>.Nine distinct classes of self-cleaving ribozymes are known to date, of which the pistol ribozyme class was discovered only 5 years ago. Self-cleaving ribozymes are able to cleave their own phosphodiester backbone at a specific site with rates much higher than those of spontaneous RNA degradation. Our study focuses on a bioinformatically predicted pistol ribozyme from the bacterium <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i>. We provide a biochemical characterization of this ribozyme, which includes an investigation of the effect of various metal ions on ribozyme cleavage and a kinetic analysis of ribozyme activity under increasing Mg²⁺ concentrations and pH. Based on the obtained results, we discuss a possible catalytic role of divalent metal ions. Moreover, we investigated the ligation activ2021-01-01T00:00:00Z2021 Nov2026-06-18T08:52:03.069Z2025-04-05T14:05:35.335ZS-EPMC85831723362217210.1080/15476286.2021.1874706