Living Systems

Porphyrin self-assembly as template for RNA?

“…The existence of liquid crystalline structures themselves is enough evidence to prove the existence of intermolecular associations resulting in supramolecular (including suprahelical) structures. This is well known (and described frequently) for polydisperse DNAs [20][21][22] and could be also found in DNA-ligand complexes [15,20,22] as shown in this work. Furthermore, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements were taken in aqueous condensed phases, built up by supramolecular nucleic acid and nucleic acid/ligand formations.…”

“…Several kinds of RNA molecules (mRNA, rRNA, tRNA) are required for information transfer from DNA to protein and others. Their molecular self-organization followed chirally influenced processes early in history, which lead to homochirality in living systems [22,[31][32][33]. While most of the studies in this direction focus on the genomic interaction, an evolutionary connection between the chirality of self-assembled porphyrin helices and of nucleic acid helices will attempt to be explained in the present study with a general idea.…”

Biomesogenic (pre)ordering phenomena and matrix reactions of nucleosides on polyuridylic acid templates studied by scanning force microscopy

“…19 -21,29,30 In a series of publications, numerous homo-and copolymers with syndiotactic or isotactic order in block, statistic and alternating copolymers have been discussed in detail. 3,5 The conclusion drawn in relation to pharmacological efficiencies as cytokine inducers and polymerase/reverse-transcriptase effectors added indirect evidence for the different tacticity outcomes in dependence of the synthesis methods employed. Owing to the rapid development of genetechnological alternatives, the early and not so easy to solve questions remained an open problem.…”

“…The aqueous single-and double-stranded RNAs of A n / U n for polyribonucleotide sample and matrix analysis were prepared by mixing equimolar amounts of the preswollen (bidistilled sterile water, 4°C 3 days), diluted and denatured 80°C, 5 min polydispersed RNA single strands (RNA Ksalts (Serva) of polyadenylic acid A n S 20,w ¾ 8.8, ε 256 D 9.8 ð 10 3 and polyuridylic acid U n S 20,w ¾ 5.7, ε 260 D 9.3 ð Figure 1. Assembles of cysteine-functionalized adenine monomers (cysA), 15,16 as representative of similar 9-vinyladenine (vA) 16,19 and adenosine (Ado) 6,7 monomers for base-pairing in Watson-Crick and/or Hoogsteen-type arrangements.…”

“…1,3,5 When Schramm et al 6 with their evolutionary model of prebiotic polycondensation of nucleosides and nucleotides on polynucleotide templates added support in favour of condensed states as vehicles of matrix reactions, they not only fulfilled Todd's prophecy 7 of matrix reactions coming of age but directed attention to special structure/phase relationships of the systems involved. 3 -5 Meanwhile it is well established that at higher concentrations in aqueous solutions poly(deoxy)ribonucleotide duplexes, triplexes and quadruplexes undergo self-organization to a variety of different liquid crystalline states.…”