Ions surround nucleic acids in what is referred to as an ion atmosphere. As a result, the
folding and dynamics of RNA and DNA and their complexes with proteins and with each …

Group II introns are mobile ribozymes that self-splice from precursor RNAs to yield excised
intron lariat RNAs, which then invade new genomic DNA sites by reverse splicing. The …

The structure, function and reactions of nucleic acids are central to molecular biology and
are crucial for the understanding of complex biological processes involved. Revised and …

Although RNA is generally thought to be a passive genetic blueprint, some RNA molecules,
called ribozymes, have intrinsic enzyme-like activity—they can catalyse chemical reactions …

It is becoming increasingly clear that RNA is more than a passive carrier of genetic
information. Folded RNA molecules play key roles in almost every aspect of cellular …

The discovery of the RNA self-splicing group I intron provided the first demonstration that not
all enzymes are proteins. Here we report the X-ray crystal structure (3.1-Å resolution) of a …

Ribozymes can catalyze a large variety of different reactions, but very few mechanistic
aspects are understood in detail. 1-9 It is evident that RNAs are always associated with …

Metal ions provide considerable functionality across biological systems, and their utilization
within biomolecules has adapted through changes in the chemical environment to maintain …

Group II introns are large, autocatalytic ribozymes that catalyze RNA splicing and
retrotransposition. Splicing by group II introns plays a major role in the metabolism of plants …

It is undisputable that the fates of metal ions and nucleic acids are inescapably interwoven.
Metal ions are essential for charge compensation of the negatively charged phosphate …