Figure 2: OA/GMOA and OA/GMO vesicles support ribozyme activity.
From: Collaboration between primitive cell membranes and soluble catalysts
Fluorescein-labelled hammerhead ribozymes (a) were encapsulated within OA/GMOA- and OA/GMO-containing vesicles. Cleavage rates for this ribozyme were measured in both types of vesicles as well as in the absence of vesicles. At 15 mM Mg2+, OA/GMOA vesicles gave similar ribozyme cleavage rates to OA/GMO-containing vesicles (b–e) Green markers: OA/GMO vesicles, kapp=0.24 h−1 (s.e.m.=0.004); blue markers: OA/GMOA vesicles, kapp=0.25 h−1 (s.e.m.=0.013); grey markers: no vesicles, kapp=0.50 h−1 (s.e.m.=0.026). Representative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) analyses of hammerhead ribozyme reactions for each set of vesicle conditions are shown below each graph. Error bars on b are s.e.m. (n=3). Solid lines on c,d and e are linear fits; for all, R2>0.98. All reactions contained vesicles comprised of 50 mM total lipid (50 mM OA, or 42.5 mM OA, 7.5 mM (15 mol%) GMO or GMOA), and 0.2 M Na-glycinamide, pH 8.5 as buffer, RNA concentration was 1 μM of each hammerhead strand. Mg2+ was present at 15 mM. Reactions were performed at uncontrolled room temperature (20±2 °C).
