C. Nisler

Evolution of the substrate specificity of an RNA ligase ribozyme from phosphorimidazole- to triphosphate-activation

This study shows that an RNA ligase ribozyme evolved from using phosphorimidazole-activated substrates to triphosphate-activated substrates through neutral mutations, leading to a new structure and function.

Simulations predict preferred Mg2+ coordination in a nonenzymatic primer extension reaction center

The paper uses molecular dynamics simulations to investigate how Mg2+ coordination affects nonenzymatic RNA primer extension, finding that specific coordination patterns enhance reaction efficiency.