Issue 39, 2020

Molecular crowding and RNA catalysis

Abstract

RNA enzymes or ribozymes catalyze some of the most important reactions in biology and are thought to have played a central role in the origin and evolution of life on earth. Catalytic function in RNA has evolved in crowded cellular environments that are different from dilute solutions in which most in vitro assays are performed. The presence of molecules such as amino acids, polypeptides, alcohols, and sugars in the cell introduces forces that modify the kinetics and thermodynamics of ribozyme-catalyzed reactions. Synthetic molecules are routinely used in in vitro studies to better approximate the properties of biomolecules under in vivo conditions. This review discusses the various forces that operate within simulated crowded solutions in the context of RNA structure, folding, and catalysis. It also explores ideas about how crowding could have been beneficial to the evolution of functional RNAs and the development of primitive cellular systems in a prebiotic milieu.

Graphical abstract: Molecular crowding and RNA catalysis

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
16 Pha 2020
Accepted
03 Leo 2020
First published
03 Leo 2020

Org. Biomol. Chem., 2020,18, 7724-7739

Molecular crowding and RNA catalysis

S. DasGupta, Org. Biomol. Chem., 2020, 18, 7724 DOI: 10.1039/D0OB01695K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements