ArticleeLife2021
Witnessing the structural evolution of an RNA enzyme.
Article in eLife, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exonuclease Ribozyme Encoded in a Circular Genome: On the Initiation of the RNA World.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A GTP synthase ribozyme with increased GTP turnover.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- A small polymerase ribozyme that can synthesize itself and its complementary strand.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2026Article
- Polymerization and replication of primordial RNA induced by clay-water interface dynamics.Communications chemistry · 2025Article
- Trinucleotide substrates under pH-freeze-thaw cycles enable open-ended exponential RNA replication by a polymerase ribozyme.Nature chemistry · 2025Article
- Bioengineering hybrid artificial life.Frontiers in bioinformatics · 2025Review
- RNA World with Inhibitors.Entropy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Directionality theory and the origin of life.Royal Society open science · 2024Article
- RNA life on the edge of catastrophe.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024Article
- RNA-catalyzed evolution of catalytic RNA.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024Article
- Cryo-EM structure and functional landscape of an RNA polymerase ribozyme.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024Article
- A Short Tale of the Origin of Proteins and Ribosome Evolution.Microorganisms · 2022Review
- Experimental exploration of a ribozyme neutral network using evolutionary algorithm and deep learning.Nature communications · 2022Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
An RNA polymerase ribozyme that has been the subject of extensive directed evolution efforts has attained the ability to synthesize complex functional RNAs, including a full-length copy of its own evolutionary ancestor. During the course of evolution, the catalytic core of the ribozyme has undergone a major structural rearrangement, resulting in a novel tertiary structural element that lies in close proximity to the active site. Through a combination of site-directed mutagenesis, structural probing, and deep sequencing analysis, the trajectory of evolution was seen to involve the progressive stabilization of the new structure, which provides the basis for improved catalytic activity of the ribozyme. Multiple paths to the new structure were explored by the evolving population, converging upon a common solution. Tertiary structural remodeling of RNA is known to occur in nature, as evidenced by the phylogenetic analysis of extant organisms, but this type of structural innovation had not previously been observed in an experimental setting. Despite prior speculation that the catalytic core of the ribozyme had become trapped in a narrow local fitness optimum, the evolving population has broken through to a new fitness locale, raising the possibility that further improvement of polymerase activity may be achievable.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.