Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

DNA-catalyzed hydrolysis of DNA phosphodiesters

Nature Chemical Biology volume 5, pages 710–711 (2009)Cite this article

Hydrolysis of the phosphodiester linkages in DNA is a notoriously difficult reaction. Deoxyribozymes that use Zn2+ and Mn2+ ions to accelerate this reaction by a factor of one hundred million (or more) have been identified and characterized.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Deoxyribozyme-catalyzed cleavage of DNA.

Katie Vicari

References

  1. Chandra, M., Sachdeva, A. & Silverman, S.K. Nat. Chem. Biol. 5, 718–720 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Dickson, K.S., Burns, C.M. & Richardson, J.P. J. Biol. Chem. 275, 15828–15831 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Westheimer, F.H. Science 235, 1173–1178 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Eigner, J., Boedtker, H. & Michaels, G. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 51, 165–168 (1961).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Schroeder, G.K., Lad, C., Wyman, P., Williams, N.H. & Wolfenden, R. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103, 4052–4055 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Lindahl, T. & Nyberg, B. Biochemistry 11, 3610–3618 (1972).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Sheppard, T.L., Ordoukhanian, P. & Joyce, G.F. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97, 7802–7807 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Kahne, D. & Still, W.C. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 110, 7529–7534 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Williams, N.H., Takasaki, B., Wall, M. & Chin, J. Acc. Chem. Res. 32, 485–493 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Wright, D.J., Jack, W.E. & Modrich, P. J. Biol. Chem. 274, 31896–31902 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Wilcox, D.E. Chem. Rev. 96, 2435–2458 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Geurts, A.M. et al. Science 325, 433 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mostafa I. Fekry is in the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.,

    Mostafa I Fekry

  2. Kent S. Gates is in the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.,

    Kent S Gates

Authors
  1. Mostafa I Fekry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kent S Gates
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kent S Gates.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fekry, M., Gates, K. DNA-catalyzed hydrolysis of DNA phosphodiesters. Nat Chem Biol 5, 710–711 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.224

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.224

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing