R2 RNA Element - 5' UTR Ribozyme

5' UTR Ribozyme

The R2 element is co-transcribed with host organism 28S ribosomal RNA (rRNA). To become a fully mature R2 messenger RNA (mRNA), requires that the initial R2 transcript be processed to remove the 28S rRNA. This processing occurs via a self-cleaving ribozyme that forms at the 5' junction of the R2 RNA. This ribozyme has been found to have high structural similarity to the HDV ribozyme but they are not homologous; the two sequences are thought to have undergone convergent evolution.