Ribozyymeinä

Ribozyymeinä, often shortened to ribozymes, are RNA molecules that possess catalytic activity. Unlike the more common protein enzymes that catalyze biological reactions, ribozymes are made of ribonucleic acid. They can perform a variety of biochemical tasks, including cleaving and joining other RNA molecules, and even catalyzing the synthesis of peptide bonds, a function traditionally associated with ribosomal proteins.

The discovery of ribozymes in the early 1980s revolutionized the understanding of molecular biology, challenging the long-held dogma that only proteins could act as enzymes. Sidney Altman and Thomas Cech were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1989 for their independent discovery of catalytic RNA. This finding suggested that RNA might have played a more central role in early life, potentially acting as both the genetic material and the primary catalyst in a hypothetical "RNA world" preceding the current DNA-protein world.

Ribozymes have diverse biological roles. For instance, the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) within ribosomes acts as the primary catalyst for peptide bond formation during protein synthesis. Other naturally occurring ribozymes are involved in RNA splicing, such as the self-splicing introns found in some eukaryotic genes and the hammerhead ribozyme. In addition to their natural functions, ribozymes are also valuable tools in biotechnology and molecular biology research. They can be engineered to cleave specific RNA sequences, making them useful for gene silencing applications or as research reagents.