Design of RNA enzymes distinguishing a single base mutation in RNA.

RNA enzymes (ribozymes) which can cleave RNA by recognizing sequences of 9-15 bases are described. Substrates must contain UX (X = U, C or A). A ribozyme consisting of two oligoribonucleotides (19 mer and 15 mer) was shown to cleave a ribo 11 mer catalytically with Km and kcat values of 0.53 microM and 0.03 min-1, respectively. A non-cleavable substrate-ribozyme complex containing 2'-O-methylnucleoside was prepared and CD spectra were compared at different temperature. In order to obtain an efficient ribozyme, a one-strand RNA with a chain length of 37 was prepared. The ribozyme was shown to distinguish a single base mutation in mRNA's which were prepared by transcription of two synthetic DNA duplexes coding for positions 7-26 of c-Ha-ras protein. The mutant (Val-12) mRNA which had GUU was cleaved but the wild type mRNA which contained GGU was not changed, when treated by the ribozymes in the presence of Mg2+.