The discovery of a catalytic RNA within RNase P and its legacy

Abstract

Sidney Altman's discovery of the processing of one RNA by another RNA that acts like an enzyme was revolutionary in biology and the basis for his sharing the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Tom Cech. These breakthrough findings support the key role of RNA in molecular evolution, where replicating RNAs (and similar chemical derivatives) either with or without peptides functioned in protocells during the early stages of life on Earth, an era referred to as the RNA world (1,2). Here, we cover the historical background highlighting the work of Altman and his colleagues and the subsequent efforts of other researchers to understand the biological function of RNase P and its catalytic RNA subunit, and to employ it as a tool to downregulate gene expression. We primarily discuss bacterial RNase P-related studies but acknowledge that many groups have significantly contributed to our understanding of archaeal and eukaryotic RNase P, as reviewed in this special issue and elsewhere (3-7).