Biologically important reactions catalyzed by RNA molecules.

The last few years have seen a considerable increase in our understanding of catalysis by naturally occurring RNA molecules called ribozymes. The biological functions of RNA molecules depend upon their adoption of appropriate three-dimensional structures. The structure of RNA has a very important electrostatic component, which results from the presence of charged phosphodiester bonds. Metal ions are usually required to stabilize the folded structures and/or catalysis. Some ribozymes utilize metal ions as catalysts, whereas others use the ions to maintain appropriate three-dimensional structures. In the latter case, the correct folding of the RNA structures can perturb the pKa values of the nucleotide(s) within a catalytic pocket such that they act as general acid/bases catalysts. Copyright 2002 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chem Rec 2: 307-318, 2002: Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI 10.1002/tcr.10031