Designed Structural-Rearrangement of an Active Group I Ribozyme.

The catalytic core of the Tetrahyemena group I ribozyme consists of two functionally different domains, P4–P6 and P3–P7, that are conjugated via multiple tertiary interactions. The sequence encoding the P3–P7 domain is divided into two fragments in its primary sequence although the two domains are physically separable in the three dimensional (3D-) structure of the ribozyme: The sequence encoding the P4–P6 domain is inserted into that of the P3–P7 domain. An artificial rearrangement was designed and attempted for the primary sequence of the P3–P7 domain on the basis of a 3D-structural model and the biochemical data on the ribozyme. The domain in the primary structure was relocated to form a contiguous region while retaining the 3D-structure of the ribozyme required for self-splicing. The topologically rearranged ribozyme exhibited self-splicing activity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]