Merely two mutations switch a DNA-hydrolyzing deoxyribozyme from heterobimetallic (Zn2+/Mn2+) to monometallic (Zn2+-only) behavior

Abstract

A deoxyribozyme that hydrolyzes DNA phosphodiester linkages with a requirement for both Zn²⁺ and Mn²⁺ is switched by only two nucleotide mutations to require Zn²⁺ alone, demonstrating that DNA-catalyzed DNA hydrolysis can be achieved using only one metal ion cofactor.