Ribozyme mechanism

While enzymological research over several decades has provided a rather detailed understanding of how certain enzymes accelerate chemical reactions, knowledge about ribozyme mechanisms and catalytic strategies is scarce in comparison. For some natural ribozymes, mechanistic and structural studies were carried out, but artificial ribozymes remain largely uncharacterized. Therefore it is unclear in many cases whether these catalysts are passive containers working solely by substrate pre-organization, or whether there are specific effects on the activation parameters of the reaction. 

---