Single Mutation in Hammerhead Ribozyme Favors Cleavage Activity with Manganese over Magnesium

Hammerhead ribozymes are one of the most studied classes of ribozymes so far, from both the structural and biochemical point of views. The activity of most hammerhead ribozymes is cation-dependent. Mg(2+) is one of the most abundant divalent cations in the cell and therefore plays a major role in cleavage activity for most hammerhead ribozymes. Besides Mg(2+), cleavage can also occur in the presence of other cations such as Mn(2+). The catalytic core of hammerhead ribozymes is highly conserved, which could contribute to a preference of hammerhead ribozymes toward certain cations. Here, we show a naturally occurring variation in the catalytic core of hammerhead ribozymes, A6C, that can favor one metallic ion, Mn(2+), over several other cations.