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. 1998 Mar;4(3):268–275.

Experimental evolution of complexity: in vitro emergence of intermolecular ribozyme interactions.

M M Hanczyc 1, R L Dorit 1
PMCID: PMC1369616  PMID: 9510329

Abstract

In the course of evolving variants of the Tetrahymena thermophila Group I ribozyme for improved DNA cleavage in vitro, we witnessed the unexpected emergence of a derived molecular species, capable of acting as a partner for the ribozyme, but no longer autocatalytic. This new RNA species exhibits a deletion in the catalytic core and participates in a productive intermolecular interaction with an active ribozyme, thus insuring its survival in the population. These novel RNA molecules have evolved a precise catalytic interaction with the Group I ribozyme and depend for their survival on the continued presence of active catalysts. This interaction hints at the complexity that may inevitably arise even in simple evolving systems.

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