A magnesium ion core at the heart of a ribozyme domain
- 1 July 1997
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
- Vol. 4 (7), 553-558
- https://doi.org/10.1038/nsb0797-553
Abstract
Large ribozymes require divalent metal ions to fold. We show here that the tertiary structure of the Tetrahymena group I intron P4-P6 domain nucleates around a magnesium ion core. In the domain crystal structure, five magnesium ions bind in a three-helix junction at the centre of the molecule. Single atom changes in any one of four magnesium sites in this three-helix junction destroy folding of the entire 160-nucleotide P4-P6 domain. The magnesium ion core may be the RNA counterpart to the protein hydrophobic core, burying parts of the RNA molecule in the native structure.Keywords
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