Selection of a self-cleaving ribozyme activated in a chemically and thermally denaturing environment

Abstract

A new self-cleaving ribozyme was obtained from in vitro selection, displaying site-specific cleavage activity under denaturing conditions, such as high temperatures up to 95 °C, and denaturing solvents (20 M formamide). Adding salt such as Mg²⁺ also inhibited its activity. The conserved ribozyme sequence was found in the genome of several extremophiles, suggesting its potential biological relevance. This study provides an example of a ribozyme working under exotic conditions, which may expand the application of ribozymes in non-biological environments.