Control of gene expression by a natural metabolite-responsive ribozyme
Control of gene expression by a natural metabolite-responsive ribozyme
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DOI：
10.1038/nature02362
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发表时间：
2004-03-18
期刊：
影响因子：
64.8
通讯作者：
Breaker, RR
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Winkler, WC;Nahvi, A;Breaker, RR
大多数生物催化剂是由蛋白质制成的；然而，已经发现八类天然核酶可以催化基本的生化反应。核酶在现代生物体中的核心功能支持这样的假设：在蛋白质和 DNA 出现之前，生命经历了“RNA 世界”。我们已经鉴定出一类新的核酶，可以切割革兰氏阳性细菌中 glmS 基因的信使 RNA。核酶由 6-磷酸葡萄糖胺 (GlcN6P) 激活，GlcN6P 是 GlmS 酶的代谢产物。其他数据表明，核酶作为代谢物响应性基因开关，可响应 GlcN6P 浓度上升而抑制 glmS 基因。这些发现表明，核酶开关可能在原始生物体中起到代谢传感器的作用，并进一步表明现代细胞保留了一些古老的遗传控制系统。
Most biological catalysts are made of protein; however, eight classes of natural ribozymes have been discovered that catalyse fundamental biochemical reactions. The central functions of ribozymes in modern organisms support the hypothesis that life passed through an 'RNA world' before the emergence of proteins and DNA. We have identified a new class of ribozymes that cleaves the messenger RNA of the glmS gene in Gram-positive bacteria. The ribozyme is activated by glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN6P), which is the metabolic product of the GlmS enzyme. Additional data indicate that the ribozyme serves as a metabolite-responsive genetic switch that represses the glmS gene in response to rising GlcN6P concentrations. These findings demonstrate that ribozyme switches may have functioned as metabolite sensors in primitive organisms, and further suggest that modern cells retain some of these ancient genetic control systems.