Every cell in the human body runs on energy released from ATP, and for decades that release has been thought to require enzymes called ATPases to kick-start the molecule’s breakdown. Researchers at Ohio State University have now identified something unexpected: a noncoding RNA, derived from human cells, that grips tightly onto ATP on its own.

The RNA forms a G-quadruplex, a compact, highly stable structural knot. First author Margaret Bohmer found it by running total RNA extracted from human cells through repeated rounds of screening, discarding non-binding molecules after each pass, until sequencing confirmed a single noncoding RNA that binds ATP strongly. Senior author Peixuan Guo, whose lab has long studied functional noncoding RNAs, said the idea of a noncoding RNA acting like an ATPase is still a very new concept, and that ATP-driven function is clearly not limited to proteins alone.

The discovery builds on the lab’s earlier finding that a viral ATP-binding RNA forms part of an ATPase motor complex — work that also suggested such RNAs may have preserved their structure through evolution even as their underlying sequences changed, hinting that they could trigger chemical reactions the way enzymes do. Guo’s team now plans to study exactly how the newly identified human RNA binds ATP, and whether it, too, might function as part of a larger molecular motor.

The researchers see potential downstream value in the finding: a smaller, more adaptable ATPase-like molecule could, in principle, be directed to channel ATP’s energy toward killing cancer cells or to block energy release that drives harmful cellular processes, though that application remains a longer-term goal rather than an immediate result. Bohmer said the team set out looking for anything in human RNAs capable of binding ATP, and is now curious whether this particular G-quadruplex RNA functions the way the viral version does. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, an Ohio State President’s Research Excellence Catalyst Award, and an Ohio State Center for RNA Biology Fellowship, with Kai Jin also contributing as a co-author.

Journal: Non-coding RNA Research
Article Title: Discovery of a G-rich ultra stable human ncRNA G-quadruplex that binds ATP
DOI: 10.1016/j.ncrna.2026.03.005
Publication Date: May 20, 2026

Source: EurekAlert