ribozyme

[rahy-buh-zahym]

noun

1. a segment of RNA that can act as a catalyst.

ribozyme

/ ˈraɪbəʊˌzaɪm /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• ribozymal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ribozyme¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ribozyme¹

C20: from _ribo ( _{nucleic acid} ) + ( _en ) _zyme

Example Sentences

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

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Giving further insight into their work published on 17 April 2024, in Life, Prof. Tamura states, "The R3C ligase is a ribozyme that catalyzes the formation of a 3',5'-phosphodiester linkage between two RNA molecules. We modified the structure by adding specific domains that can interact with various effectors."

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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.

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

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The latest RNA polymerase ribozyme developed in the lab includes a number of crucial mutations that allow it to copy a strand of RNA with much higher accuracy.

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