Enzymes That Are Not Proteins: The Discovery of Ribozymes

Researching for this assignment something caught my eye that seemed very familiar. We have been studying enzymes and proteins, so this topic of "Enzymes That Are Not Proteins: The Discovery of Ribozymes" seemed like a natural fit not to mention fascinating. DNA and RNA are very similar in chemistry, but DNA has a double helix (chain) and is not flexible, where as the RNA is a single chain giving it more flexibility and the allowing it to take on different formations or interact with itself creating more variety as a biocatalyst. DNA does not have the ability to replicate itself without the aide of a catalyst and lacks an oxygen molecule, where as, RNA has an extra oxygen molecule and in some cases can replicate itself through self catalyzing because it has its own nuclei. This is where the interesting theory of the chicken and the egg, who came first? Did a self replicating RNA molecule take place? In this short video, HHMI President Dr. Thomas Cech discussed the discovery of RNA's catalytic properties and how they found this information totally by accident. We sometimes wonder who comes up with these names for different molecules well the name for Ribozymes actually came from a naming contest he held. This video clip although 19 minutes long is absolutely worth watching. As I continue to explore enzymes and proteins in class this information helps to clarify their purposes and functions for real life application.

http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/video/index.html
Enzymes That Are Not Proteins: The Discovery of Ribozymes