Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ganguly A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3233192 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Ganguly Abir A Bevilacqua Philip C PC Hammes-Schiffer Sharon S
The journal of physical chemistry letters 20111101 22
A recent crystal structure of the precleaved HDV ribozyme along with biochemical data support a mechanism for phosphodiester bond self-cleavage in which C75 acts as a general acid and bound Mg(2+) ion acts as a Lewis acid. Herein this precleaved crystal structure is used as the basis for quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical calculations. These calculations indicate that the self-cleavage reaction is concerted with a phosphorane-like transition state when a divalent ion, Mg(2+) or Ca(2+), is b ...[more]