TY - JOUR
AU - Borggräfe, Jan
AU - Victor, Julian
AU - Rosenbach, Hannah
AU - Viegas, Aldino
AU - Gertzen, Christoph G. W.
AU - Wuebben, Christine
AU - Kovacs, Helena
AU - Gopalswamy, Mohanraj
AU - Riesner, Detlev
AU - Steger, Gerhard
AU - Schiemann, Olav
AU - Gohlke, Holger
AU - Span, Ingrid
AU - Etzkorn, Manuel
TI - Time-resolved structural analysis of an RNA-cleaving DNA catalyst
JO - Nature
VL - 601
SN - 0028-0836
CY - London [u.a.]
PB - Nature Publ. Group
M1 - FZJ-2021-06169
SP - 144-149
PY - 2022
AB - The 10–23 DNAzyme is one of the most prominent catalytically active DNA sequences1,2. Its ability to cleave a wide range of RNA targets with high selectivity entails a substantial therapeutic and biotechnological potential2. However, the high expectations have not yet been met, a fact that coincides with the lack of high-resolution and time-resolved information about its mode of action3. Here we provide high-resolution NMR characterization of all apparent states of the prototypic 10–23 DNAzyme and present a comprehensive survey of the kinetics and dynamics of its catalytic function. The determined structure and identified metal-ion-binding sites of the precatalytic DNAzyme–RNA complex reveal that the basis of the DNA-mediated catalysis is an interplay among three factors: an unexpected, yet exciting molecular architecture; distinct conformational plasticity; and dynamic modulation by metal ions. We further identify previously hidden rate-limiting transient intermediate states in the DNA-mediated catalytic process via real-time NMR measurements. Using a rationally selected single-atom replacement, we could considerably enhance the performance of the DNAzyme, demonstrating that the acquired knowledge of the molecular structure, its plasticity and the occurrence of long-lived intermediate states constitutes a valuable starting point for the rational design of next-generation DNAzymes.
LB - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6 - pmid:34949858
UR - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000734154500001
DO - DOI:10.1038/s41586-021-04225-4
UR - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/904599
ER -