Ribozyme

**Semantic type:** Enzyme|Nucleic Acid, Nucleoside, or Nucleotide

**Definition:** RNA that contains an intron sequence which has an enzyme-like catalytic activity. This intron sequence has been shown to fold up to form a complex surface that can function like an enzyme in reactions with other RNA molecules and thus synthesize new molecules even in the absence of protein. Synthetic ribozymes can be engineered to specifically cleave a target RNA sequence causing expression down regulation.

**Synonyms:** - Catalytic RNA - Catalytic RNA - RIBOZYME - RNA, Catalytic - Ribonucleic Enzyme