The Structural and Functional Uniqueness of the glmS Ribozyme - Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science - page 169

CHAPTER FIVE

The Structural and Functional
Uniqueness of the glmS Ribozyme

Juliane K. Soukup
Department of Chemistry, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Contents
1. Introduction 174

2. The glmS Riboswitch/Ribozyme 175

3. Biological Function of the glmS Ribozyme 176

4. glmS Ribozyme Uniqueness 176

5. glmS Ribozyme Structure and Function—Biochemical Analyses 177

6. glmS Ribozyme Structure and Function—Crystallographic Analysis 180

7. Metal Ion Usage by the glmS Ribozyme 181

8. Essential Coenzyme GlcN6P Functional Groups 183

9. Mechanism of glmS Ribozyme Self-Cleavage Using Coenzyme GlcN6P 185

10. pH-Reactivity Profiles Provide Mechanistic Insight 186

11. Potential for Antibiotic Development Affecting glmS Ribozyme/Riboswitch
Function

190

Acknowledgments 191

References 191

Abstract
The glmS bacterial ribozyme/riboswitch is found in a number of Gram-positive bacteria,
many of which are human pathogens. Investigation of the structure and function of the
glmS catalyst will aid in the development of artificial agonists/antagonists that might
function as novel antibiotics. The glmS ribozyme is mechanistically unique in that it
is the first RNA catalyst identified to require a coenzyme, glucosamine-6-phosphate,
for RNA self-cleavage. In addition, it is the first riboswitch identified to utilize self-
cleavage as a mode of genetic regulation in metabolism. Significant biochemical
and biophysical data exist for the glmS ribozyme and aid in mechanistically understand-
ing the importance of RNA and coenzyme structure to function in acid - base catalysis.