Crystal structure of the RNA cleaving 10-23 DNAzyme captured in a pre-catalytic state

Abstract

Deoxyribozymes (DNAzymes) are short single-stranded DNA sequences capable of catalyzing chemical reactions such as RNA cleavage, thymine excision, RNA/DNA ligation, and thymine dimer resolution. Among these, RNA cleaving DNAzymes have emerged as the most prominent due to their applications in medicine as potential protein expression knockdown therapeutics and antiviral agents; however, the lack of a structural insight into catalysis hinders further optimization. Here, we report a structure of the RNA cleaving 10-23 DNAzyme, which requires magnesium as a cofactor.