Solution structure of the loop B domain from the hairpin ribozyme.
Butcher, S.E., Allain, F.H., Feigon, J.(1999) Nat Struct Biol 6: 212-216
- PubMed: 10074938 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/6651
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
1AFX, 1B36 - PubMed Abstract: 
The hairpin ribozyme is a small catalytic RNA with a unique two-domain structure. Here we present the solution structure of the loop B domain of the hairpin ribozyme, which contains most of the catalytically essential nucleotides. The 38-nucleotide domain contains a 16-nucleotide internal loop that forms one of the largest non-Watson-Crick segments of base pairing thus far determined by either NMR or crystallography. Since the solution structure of the smaller loop A domain has been previously solved, an NMR structure-based model of the 22,000 Mr hairpin ribozyme-substrate open complex emerges by joining the two domain structures. Strikingly, catalytically essential functional groups for the loop B domain are concentrated within an expanded minor groove, presenting a clear docking surface for the loop A domain.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles 90095-1569, USA.