The Glucosamine-6-phosphate activated ribozyme (glmS ribozyme) is an RNA structural motif that functions both as ribozyme and metabolite-responsive riboswitch. The glmS RNA motif was originally identified upstream of the glmS gene in numerous Gram-positive bacteria from the Firmicutes phylum [15096624]. The GlmS enzyme catalyzes the synthesis of glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN6P), and the GlmS ribozyme is dependent on GlcN6P to achieve catalysis of its own mRNA cleavage [15029187]. This cleavage leads to the degradation of the mRNA that contains the ribozyme, and ultimately lowers expression of the glmS gene [18079181]. more

The solved crystal structure of the GlmS ribozyme reveals that RNA adopts a double pseudoknotted structure, and the cofactor is bound in a solvent accessible pocket, suggesting that the amino group of GlcN6P is involved in the catalytic process [16990543, 16699515].