Ribozymes

Remnants of the Origin of Life

Over the years, we have extensively worked on RNA enzymes, or short ribozymes, that catalyze some complex reactions, including self-cleavage and -ligation, complex RNA backbone acrobatics such as pre-mRNA splicing, and protein biosynthesis (by the ribosome). Ribozymes were likely the first components of living organisms, and to some extend were displaced by RNA:protein complexes once the proto-ribosome learned how to produce peptides and proteins. Our mechanistic studies taught us a lot about the sophistication of RNA, which we are now applying to the many other topics listed in the following.