Final answer:
Ribozymes catalyze reactions in a manner similar to enzymes, particularly in various RNA processing events, and are key to RNA world hypothesis. Research has also focused on using mutated enzymes like PNP to explore ribozymes' catalytic properties and applications in biochemical probing and medicine.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ribozyme-Catalyzed Reactions
Ribozymes are ribonucleic acids that function like enzymes to catalyze biochemical reactions. These ribonucleic catalysts are observed in numerous biological processes including the processing of RNA, such as small nuclear RNA (SnRNA) and heteronuclear RNA (hnRNA). In the context of research, ribozymes have been used to investigate enzyme kinetics and to explore their potential as catalysts in the ribosylation of 8-azaguanine and other nucleobase analogs, which can result in the site-selective formation of fluorescent ribosides. For example, enzymatic ribosylation reactions catalyzed by purine-nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) have been studied to understand how point mutations in the enzyme affect the ribosylation process, revealing significant selectivity for ribosylation sites and sensitivity to such mutations.
The application of mutated forms of PNP, such as the N243D mutant of the calf enzyme, has been found to produce different ribosides compared to the wild-type enzyme, showing the transformation of enzymology through engineered mutations. These findings can lay the foundation of use in biochemical probes and clinical investigations. Thus, ribozyme activity is not only pivotal in the RNA world hypothesis, where they may have played a role in the origin of life, but also in modern biological research and applications.