Merely two mutations switch a DNA-hydrolyzing deoxyribozyme from heterobimetallic (Zn²⁺/Mn²⁺) to monometallic (Zn²⁺-only) behavior

Abstract

A deoxyribozyme that hydrolyzes DNA phosphodiester linkages with a requirement for both Zn(2+) and Mn(2+) is switched by only two nucleotide mutations to require Zn(2+) alone, demonstrating that DNA-catalyzed DNA hydrolysis can be achieved using only one metal ion cofactor.