Medical Research Council develops XNAzyme, a world-first synthetic enzyme

Scientists from the UK's Medical Research Council have created the world’s first artificial enzymes created using synthetic biology. These enzymes, called XNAzymes, are made from molecules that do not occur anywhere naturally, and are capable of triggering chemical reactions in the lab. This could provide a starting point for a new way of developing drugs and diagnostics.

Philipp Holliger, who led the research at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, said: “All life on earth depends on a series of chemical reactions, from digesting food to making DNA in our cells. Many of these reactions are too sluggish to happen at ambient temperatures and pressures, and require enzymes to kick-start or ‘catalyse’ the process. Until recently, it was thought that DNA and RNA were the only molecules that could store genetic information and, together with proteins, the only biomolecules able to form enzymes. Our work suggests that, in principle, there are a number of possible alternatives to nature’s molecules that will support the catalytic processes required for life. Life’s ‘choice’ of RNA and DNA may just be an accident of prehistoric chemistry.”

The XNAzymes are capable of catalyzing simple reactions like cutting and joining RNA strands in a test tube. One of the XNAzymes can even join XNA strands together, which represents one of the first steps to creating a living system. XNAzymes are more stable than naturally-occurring enzymes, and scientists believe they could be particularly useful in developing therapies for cancer and viral infections because these diseases exploit the body’s natural processes.