RNA?Cleaving Deoxyribozymes Differentiate Methylated Cytidine Isomers in RNA

Deoxyribozymes are emerging as modification-specific endonucleases for the analysis of epigenetic RNA modifications. Here, we report RNA-cleaving deoxyribozymes that differentially respond to presence natural methylated cytidines, 3-methylcytidine (m3C), N4-methylcytidine (m4C), and 5-methylcytidine (m5C), respectively. Using in vitro selection, found several DNA catalysts, which selectively activated by only one three cytidine isomers, display 10- 30-fold accelerated cleavage their target m3C-, m4C- or m5C-modified RNA. An additional deoxyribozyme is strongly inhibited any methylcytidines, but effectively cleaves unmodified The mXC-detecting programmable interrogation RNAs interest, demonstrated human mitochondrial tRNAs containing known m3C m5C sites. results underline potential synthetic functional shape highly selective active