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The DNAzyme 9DB1, whose catalytically active structure and reaction mechanism was unknown, makes use of a mechanism involving two ions, similar to that used by natural enzymes (J. Aranda, IRB Barcelona).
 20.06.2019

A study from IRB Barcelona opens new propsects in the field of biocatalysers

Modesto Orozco’s lab at IRB Barcelona in PCB has published a study on the reaction mechanism of DNAzymes in Nature Catalysis. DNAzymes, which are catalysers formed by DNA, have applications in biomedicine and biotechnology. These research results will contribute to advances in the design and improvement of catalysers for therapeutic purposes.

 

A study from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) has published a study in the journal Nature Catalysis that describes the reaction mechanism used by the DNAzyme 9DB1, the first structurally available catalyser formed by DNA.

Until recently, it was widely assumed that DNA served to store genetic information in a stable and irreversible manner. However, in the last ten years, the discovery of the epigenetic code and the finding that nucleic acids can also catalyse certain reactions have changed this vision. 

The team headed by Modesto Orozco, head of the Molecular Modelling and Bioinformatics Lab at IRB Barcelona, found that this DNAzyme catalyses RNA ligation through a similar mechanism to that used by natural enzymes.

The conclusion drawn by the study may lead to improvements in current catalysers and in the design of novel biocatalysers formed by DNA. Indeed, given that DNAzymes can carry out a variety of reactions on messenger RNA and can trigger the silencing of genes, they are being developed for diagnostic and biomedical applications. 

“The role of DNAzymes as catalysers is of great interest since they are easier to synthesise than proteins and RNA molecules, as well as being more stable and less expensive. However, to date, the catalytic mechanism used by DNAzymes was unknown, as were the differences between catalysers made of DNA and RNA or the protein enzymes,” says Orozco, senior professor at the University of Barcelona.

► Reference article: Juan Aranda, Montserrat Terrazas, Hansel Gómez, Núria Villegas i Modesto Orozco. “An artificial DNAzyme RNA ligase shows a reaction mechanism resembling that of cellular polymerases“. Nature Catalysis (2019) DOI: 10.1038/s41929-019-0290-y

► More information: IRB Barcelona website [+]