Kinetics of RNA Degradation by Specific Base Catalysis of Transesterification Involving the 2‘-Hydroxyl Group

A detailed understanding of the susceptibility of RNA phosphodiesters to specific base-catalyzed cleavage is necessary to approximate the stability of RNA under various conditions. In addition, quantifying the rate enhancements that can be produced exclusively by this common cleavage mechanism is needed to fully interpret the mechanisms employed by ribonucleases and by RNA-cleaving ribozymes. Chimeric DNA/RNA oligonucleotides were used to …