Rapid Cleavage of RNA with a La(III) Dimer

In nature there are many enzymes that hydrolyze phosphate esters that are activated by two or more metal ions. They include phosphomonoesterases (alkaline phosphatase, purple acid phosphatase, inositol phosphatase), phosphodiesterases (RNase H from HIV reverse transcriptase, 3'--5' exonuclease from DNA polymerase I, P1 nuclease), and phosphotriesterases (isolated from Pseudomonas diminuta). Inspired by nature's enzymes, many simple dinuclear metal complexes that hydrolyze phosphate esters have been developed. Currently there is considerable interest in developing catalysts that hydrolyze RNA sequence specifically. One major challenge in such an endeavor is increasing the reactivity of the catalyst. Here we report La(III) ions that dimerize to form a reactive core that cleaves RNA with unprecedented reactivity.