Volcanic RNA ligase
Scientists have developed a new ligase for use in biomedicine
Specialists from Brown University have created a new RNA ligase for laboratory use. To do this, they used microbes living near the vents of volcanoes.
The structure was named KOD1Rnl. Ligases are enzymes that help cells connect broken DNA and RNA strands. They are also important for biotechnical tools used in genetic sequencing, detection of mutations and other processes, the article notes phys.org Researchers develop a new ligase for biomedical use. The resulting ligase can operate at high temperatures desirable for some laboratory procedures. Its greatest activity is observed in the presence of certain RNA templates, which makes the structure useful for sequencing and detecting these acids.
"The new ligase has all the necessary properties for manipulating RNA," explains Lei Zhang, lead author of the study. "We think it will become a useful tool in a set of biomedical tools."
The work was published in RNA Biology (Lei Zhang & Anubhav Tripathi, Archaeal RNA Ligase from Thermoccocus Kodakarensis for Template Dependent Ligation – VM).
Zhang works in the laboratory of Professor Anubhav Tripatha, senior author of the study.
At high temperatures, RNA is easier to work with, as it unravels. However, achieving the necessary conditions may lead to a decrease in the efficiency of the ligase. KOD1Rnl remains active at almost +60 ° C, which allows laboratory experiments to be carried out at temperatures above body temperature.
Figure from an article in RNA Biology – VM
The scientists also checked for the presence of pattern dependence in the enzyme. This is a property when the ligase binds 2 strands of RNA only if they are arranged in accordance with the "pattern". To test the dependence, the scientists used KOD1Rnl to identify Ebola RNA transcripts created in the laboratory. The structure showed high results in detecting mutations.
The researchers have patented KOD1Rnl and hope to start collaborating with industry representatives to bring it to market.
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12.10.2016