Inhibition of self-splicing group I intron RNA: High-throughput screening assays

High-throughput screening assays have been developed to rapidly identify small molecule inhibitors targeting catalytic group I introns, Biochemical reactions catalyzed by a self-splicing group I intron derived from Pneumocystis carinii or from bacteriophage T4 have been investigated, In vitro biochemical assays amenable to high-throughput screening have been established, Small molecules that inhibit the functions of group I introns have been identified, These inhibitors should be useful in better understanding ribozyme catalysis or in therapeutic intervention of group I intron-containing microorganisms.