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Challenges and Perspectives in Nucleic Acid Enzyme Engineering

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Book cover Catalytically Active Nucleic Acids

Part of the book series: Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology ((ABE,volume 170))

Abstract

Engineering of nucleic acids has been a goal in research for many years. Since the discovery of catalytic nucleic acids (ribozymes and DNAzymes), this field has attracted even more attention. One reason for the increased interest is that a large number of ribozymes have been engineered that catalyze a broad range of reactions of relevance to the origin of life. Another reason is that the structures of ribozymes or DNAzymes have been modulated such that activity is dependent on allosteric regulation by an external cofactor. Such constructs have great potential for application as biosensors in medicinal or environmental diagnostics, and as molecular tools for control of cellular processes. In addition to the development of nucleic acid enzymes by in vitro selection, rational design is a powerful strategy for the engineering of ribozymes or DNAzymes with tailored features. The structures and mechanisms of a large number of nucleic acid catalysts are now well understood. Therefore, specific design of their functional properties by structural modulation is a good option for the development of custom-made molecular tools. For rational design, several parameters have to be considered, and a number of tools are available to help/guide sequence design. Here, we discuss sequence, structural and functional design using the example of hairpin ribozyme variants to highlight the challenges and opportunities of rational nucleic enzyme engineering.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Biochemie, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald, Felix-Hausdorff Str. 4, 17487, Greifswald, Germany

    Darko Balke, Robert Hieronymus & Sabine Müller

Authors
  1. Darko Balke
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  2. Robert Hieronymus
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  3. Sabine Müller
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sabine Müller .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB) Biomarker Validation and Assay Development, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Potsdam, Germany

    Harald Seitz

  2. Institut für Technische Chemie, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany

    Frank Stahl

  3. Institut für Technische Chemie, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany

    Johanna-Gabriela Walter

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Balke, D., Hieronymus, R., Müller, S. (2017). Challenges and Perspectives in Nucleic Acid Enzyme Engineering. In: Seitz, H., Stahl, F., Walter, JG. (eds) Catalytically Active Nucleic Acids. Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology, vol 170. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/10_2017_21

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