Yes, RNA can catalyze chemical reactions like proteins do. RNA molecules that have the ability to catalyze specific biochemical reactions are called ribozymes. The discovery of ribozymes demonstrated that RNA can be both genetic material (like DNA) and a biological catalyst (like protein enzymes). Some researchers believe that at the beginning of life on Earth there were no proteins or DNA, but rather only RNA. This hypothetical period is referred to as the RNA World.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by Mahi Bashat.

Deoxyribozymes, also called DNA enzymes, DNAzymes, or catalytic DNA, are DNA oligonucleotides that are capable of performing a specific chemical reaction, often but not always catalytic. However, in contrast to the abundance of protein enzymes in biological systems and the discovery of biological ribozymes in the 1980s, there is only little evidence for naturally occurring deoxyribozymes.

Deoxyribozyme – Wikipedia

Ribozymes and deoxyribozymes are two types of nucleic acid enzymes that can catalyze specific chemical reactions. Ribozymes are composed of RNA, while deoxyribozymes are composed of DNA. Some ribozymes are found in nature and play important roles in biological processes, such as RNA splicing and translation. Deoxyribozymes, on the other hand, are mostly artificial and have been discovered by in vitro selection from random sequences. Both ribozymes and deoxyribozymes have potential applications in biotechnology, such as biosensors and gene regulation. However, deoxyribozymes have some advantages over ribozymes, such as higher stability and easier binding to metal cofactors.