VERSATILE 5'-PHOSPHORYL COUPLING OF SMALL AND LARGE MOLECULES TO AN RNA

A Ca2+-requiring catalytic RNA is shown to create 5' phosphate-phospha te linkages with all nucleotides and coenzymes including CoA, nicotina mide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, thiamine phosphate, thiamine pyro phosphate, and flavin mononucleotide. In addition to these small molec ules, macromolecules such as RNAs with 5'-diphosphates, and nonnucleot ide molecules like N epsilon-phosphate arginine and 6-phosphate glucon ic acid also react. That is, the self-capping RNA isolate 6 is an appa rently universal 5' phosphate-linker, reacting with any nucleophile co ntaining an unblocked phosphate, These RNA reactions demonstrate a uni que RNA catalytic capability and imply versatile and specific posttran scriptional RNA modification by RNA catalysis.