Scientists create smallest ribozyme

2010-02-23
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Scientists say they have managed to create the smallest ever known RNA molecule capable of catalysing a key cellular reaction needed to synthesise proteins.

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Scientists say they have managed to create the smallest ever known RNA molecule capable of catalysing a key cellular reaction needed to synthesise proteins.

The discovery could back the theory that primitive forms of RNA present in the Earth's primordial soup may have fired up the biochemical reactions that resulted in all life forms.

Researchers at the University of Colorado, led by Professor Michael Yarus, developed the ribozyme - an RNA capable of catalysing reactions - using only five nucleotides.

Nucleotides are basic structural units which occur in the thousands in a normal cellular RNA.

Some experts believe that early Earth contained very simple and tiny bits of RNA from which higher life forms eventually evolved. But evidence for the "RNA World" concept has been hard to obtain because of the difficulty in synthesising these molecules.

Prof Yarus said: "This work shows that RNA enzymes could have been far smaller, and therefore far easier to make under primitive conditions, than anyone has expected."

Findings from the study are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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