Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38207080›Full record

ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2024

Cryo-EM structure and functional landscape of an RNA polymerase ribozyme.

Ewan K S McRae, Christopher J K Wan, Emil L Kristoffersen, Kalinka Hansen, Edoardo Gianni, Isaac Gallego, Joseph F Curran, James Attwater, Philipp Holliger, Ebbe S Andersen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. The power of triplets.Nature reviews. Chemistry · 2025
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. gRNAde: Geometric Deep Learning for 3D RNA inverse design.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Ewan K S McRae *Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0001-9105-2575
Christopher J K Wan *Division of Protein and Nucleic Acid Chemistry, Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom.
Emil L Kristoffersen *Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark.
Kalinka HansenInterdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark.
Edoardo GianniDivision of Protein and Nucleic Acid Chemistry, Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom.
Isaac GallegoDivision of Protein and Nucleic Acid Chemistry, Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom.
Joseph F CurranDivision of Protein and Nucleic Acid Chemistry, Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-6660-2747
James AttwaterDivision of Protein and Nucleic Acid Chemistry, Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom.
Philipp Holliger *Division of Protein and Nucleic Acid Chemistry, Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-3440-9854
Ebbe S Andersen *Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-6236-8164

Funding

Medical Research Council MC_U105178804
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The emergence of an RNA replicase capable of self-replication is considered an important stage in the origin of life. RNA polymerase ribozymes (PR) - including a variant that uses trinucleotide triphosphates (triplets) as substrates - have been created by in vitro evolution and are the closest functional analogues of the replicase, but the structural basis for their function is poorly understood. Here we use single-particle cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and high-throughput mutation analysis to obtain the structure of a triplet polymerase ribozyme (TPR) apoenzyme and map its functional landscape. The cryo-EM structure at 5-Å resolution reveals the TPR as an RNA heterodimer comprising a catalytic subunit and a noncatalytic, auxiliary subunit, resembling the shape of a left hand with thumb and fingers at a 70° angle. The two subunits are connected by two distinct kissing-loop (KL) interactions that are essential for polymerase function. Our combined structural and functional data suggest a model for templated RNA synthesis by the TPR holoenzyme, whereby heterodimer formation and KL interactions preorganize the TPR for optimal primer-template duplex binding, triplet substrate discrimination, and templated RNA synthesis. These results provide a better understanding of TPR structure and function and should aid the engineering of more efficient PRs.

Indexed as

RNA, CatalyticCryoelectron MicroscopyDNA-Directed RNA PolymerasesRNARNA-Dependent RNA PolymeraseDNA-Directed RNA PolymerasesRNARNA, CatalyticRNA-Dependent RNA Polymerasecryo-EMfitness landscapepolymeraseribozymeRNA

Identifiers

PMID38207080
PMCPMC10801858

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.