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RNA-based programmable DNA cleavage

Nature Chemical Biology (2024)Cite this article

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Natural ribozymes can cleave RNA and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) by transesterification or a blend of hydrolytic and transesterification reactions. Now, ribozymes have been discovered that catalyze the hydrolytic cleavage of ssDNA. Similar ribozymes could potentially replace large, immunogenic, protein-based nucleases in gene therapies.

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Fig. 1: The discovery and engineering of ORF-less group II ribozymes, known as HYERs, for the programmable cleavage of bubbled dsDNA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Madeleine B. King & Audrone Lapinaite

  2. Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Audrone Lapinaite

  3. Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Audrone Lapinaite

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  1. Madeleine B. King
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  2. Audrone Lapinaite
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Correspondence to Audrone Lapinaite.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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King, M.B., Lapinaite, A. RNA-based programmable DNA cleavage. Nat Chem Biol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-024-01625-1

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