Abstract:

In a bind: Two DNAzymes, EtNa and Ce13d, are compared to elucidate their mechanisms of Na+ binding. Both DNAzymes bind Na+ with excellent specificity but with different mechanisms. Ce13d binds one Na+ through a well‐defined Na+ aptamer motif, and EtNa binds two Na+ ions mainly by way of a scissile phosphate without significant involvement of the nucleotides in the enzyme strand.