Background: Viroids are the smallest pathogens known to date. They infect plants and cause considerable
economic losses. The members of the Avsunviroidae family are known for their capability to formhammerhead ribozymes (HHR) that catalyze self-cleavage during their rolling circle replication.
Methods: In vitro inhibition assays, based on the self-cleavage kinetics of the hammerhead ribozyme from a Chrysanthemum chlorotic mottle viroid (CChMVd-HHR) were performed in the presence of various putative inhibitors.