The structure and activity of the hairpin ribozyme has been explored using a wide range of complementary experimental methods, including nucleotide replacement, functional group substitution, combinatorial selection, fluorescence spectroscopy, covalent crosslinking, NMR analysis and x-ray crystallography.
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It was first identified in the minus strand of the tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV) satellite RNA where it catalyzes self-cleavage and joining (ligation) reactions to process the products of rolling circle virus replication into linear and circular satellite RNA molecules.
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In the laboratory, a functional interaction between the two domains is promoted by the addition of cations, whose positive charge suffices to overcome the electrostatic repulsion of the negatively charged RNA backbone.
Similar to the hairpin ribozyme, the HDV ribosome has reactions that is characterized by acid-base catalysis.