Ribozymes:
In at least one eukaryote, Tetrahymena, the pre-rRNA molecule holds an intron. Erasing of the intron in running processing of the pre-rRNA does not need the assistance of any protein! Instead, in the presence of guanosine, GDP, GMP or GTP, the intron excises itself is a phenomenon called as self- splicing. This was the first expression of ribozymes, which is, catalytic RNA molecules which catalyze specific reactions. The Self-splicing introns have also been discovered in some eukaryotic mRNAs and even peptidyl transferase a major activity in protein synthesis is now called to be a ribozyme.