ribozyme

American

[rahy-buh-zahym] / ˈraɪ bəˌzaɪm /

noun

a segment of RNA that can act as a catalyst.

ribozyme British

/ ˈraɪbəʊˌzaɪm /

noun

an RNA molecule capable of catalysing a chemical reaction, usually the cleavage of another RNA molecule

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

ribozymal

adjective

Etymology

Origin of ribozyme

First recorded in 1985–90; ribo(some) + (en)zyme

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

These findings suggest that ATP and histidine act as effector molecules that trigger structural conformational changes in the ribozyme, which further influence enzyme stability and activity.

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2024

For this, they designed an artificial ribozyme, R3C ligase, to investigate how individual RNA units come together to form a functional structure.

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2024

As a result of this new research, these complex ribozyme sequences in the early stages of RNA evolution are not necessary.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2024

The reason the new ribozyme works so well lies in the unusual way it operates.

From Scientific American • Dec. 5, 2014

The ribozyme in the paper emerged after just 16 rounds of evolution, a shockingly short run for this kind of experiment.

From Scientific American • Dec. 5, 2014

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023