Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39900966›Full record

ArticleCommunications biology2025

A hammerhead ribozyme selects mechanically stable conformations for catalysis against viral RNA.

Man Lu, Zhiqiang Cao, Luoan Xiong, Hongying Deng, Kangkang Ma, Ning Liu, Yanding Qin, Shen-Bo Chen, Jun-Hu Chen, Yao Li and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Communications biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing 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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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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

12 authors.

Man Lu *State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Frontiers Science Center for Cell Responses, College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
Zhiqiang Cao *State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Frontiers Science Center for Cell Responses, College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
Luoan XiongSchool of Physics and Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Nankai University, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin, China.
Hongying DengState Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
Kangkang MaState Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Frontiers Science Center for Cell Responses, College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
Ning LiuState Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
Yanding QinCollege of Artificial Intelligence, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
Shen-Bo ChenNational Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China (NHC) Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China.
Jun-Hu ChenNational Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China (NHC) Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, WHO Collaborating Center for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Shanghai, China.
Yao LiSchool of Physics and Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, Nankai University, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin, China. liyao@nankai.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7926-7597
Yijin LiuState Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, and College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China. yvliu@nankai.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3643-8683
Zhongbo YuState Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Frontiers Science Center for Cell Responses, College of Pharmacy, Nankai University, Tianjin, China. zyu@nankai.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0634-554X

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 32471274Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin City (Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin) 22JCYBJC01070State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments pilab2210
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Ribozymes, widely found in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, target nucleic acids and can be engineered as biotechnical tools or for gene regulation or immune therapy. Among them, hammerhead is the smallest and best characterized ribozyme. However, the structure and biochemical data of ribozymes have been disagreed on, making the understanding of its catalysis mechanism a longstanding issue. Particularly, the role of conformational dynamics in ribozyme catalysis remains elusive. Here, we use single-molecule magnetic tweezers to reveal a concerted catalysis mechanism of mechanical conformational selection for a mini hammerhead ribozyme against a viral RNA sequence from the SARS-CoV-2. We identify a conformational set containing five mechanical conformers of the mini ribozyme, where magnesium ions select the active one. Our results are supported by molecular dynamics simulations. Our understanding of the RNA catalytic mechanism will be beneficial for ribozyme's biotechnological applications and as potential therapeutics against RNA viruses.

Indexed as

RNA, CatalyticRNA, ViralSARS-CoV-2CatalysisMolecular Dynamics SimulationNucleic Acid Conformationhammerhead ribozymeRNA, CatalyticRNA, Viral

Identifiers

PMID39900966
PMCPMC11791167

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.