HAMMERHEAD RIBOZYME ENGINEERING

Of all the catalytic RNAs the hammerhead ribozyme is the most chemical ly modified and structurally studied. Such studies have resulted in im provements in the nuclease resistance of ribozymes, reductions in thei r size, and improvements in their catalytic efficiency. These improvem ents have facilitated the use of ribozymes for therapeutic application s, and have allowed us to study how the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme and its array of functional groups interact to create a ca talytic site where a phosphodiester bond is cleaved.