A recent study has revealed new details about of pH-dependent enzyme kinetics in living cells. The study focuses on RNA enzymes (or ribozymes). Ribozymes contain positively (cationic) and negatively (anionic) charged bases that play a role in catalyzing biological reactions. The study expands on previous efforts that simulated rate-pH profiles for ribozymes in order to better understand how ribozymes respond to pH.

The paper, “Complexity in pH-Dependent Ribozyme Kinetics: Dark pKa Shifts and Wavy Rate–pH Profiles,” was published in the journal Biochemistry. The work was supported by NASA Astrobiology through the Exobiology & Evolutionary Biology Program.