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Science 11 August 2000:
Vol. 289. no. 5481, pp. 878 - 879
DOI: 10.1126/science.289.5481.878
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Perspectives

Also see the archival list of Science's Compass: Enhanced Perspectives

STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY:
Enhanced: The Ribosome Is a Ribozyme

Thomas R. Cech

Ribosomes, the cellular factories that manufacture proteins, contain both RNA and protein, but exactly how all of the different ribosomal components contribute to protein synthesis is still not clear. Now, as Thomas Cech explains in his Perspective, atomic resolution of the structure of the large ribosomal subunit reveals that, as predicted by those convinced of a prebiotic RNA world, RNA is the catalytic component with proteins being the structural units that support and stabilize it (Ban et al., Nissen et al., Muth et al.).

The author is at The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 4000 Jones Bridge Road, Chevy Chase, MD 20815-6789, USA. E-mail: thomas.cech{at}colorado.edu

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The spliceosome as ribozyme hypothesis takes a second step.
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Human ribosomal protein L13a is dispensable for canonical ribosome function but indispensable for efficient rRNA methylation.
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A Dispensable Yeast Ribosomal Protein Optimizes Peptidyltransferase Activity and Affects Translocation.
J. Dresios, P. Panopoulos, K. Suzuki, and D. Synetos (2003)
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Pentamidine inhibits catalytic activity of group I intron Ca.LSU by altering RNA folding.
Y. Zhang, Z. Li, D. S. Pilch, and M. J. Leibowitz (2002)
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On the evolution of cells.
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Existence of efficient divalent metal ion-catalyzed and inefficient divalent metal ion-independent channels in reactions catalyzed by a hammerhead ribozyme.
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A functional chaperone triad on the yeast ribosome.
M. Gautschi, A. Mun, S. Ross, and S. Rospert (2002)
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Effects of base change mutations within an Escherichia coli ribosomal RNA leader region on rRNA maturation and ribosome formation.
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SURVEY AND SUMMARY: Recent advances in the elucidation of the mechanisms of action of ribozymes.
Y. Takagi, M. Warashina, W. J. Stec, K. Yoshinari, and K. Taira (2001)
Nucleic Acids Res. 29, 1815-1834
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