RNA: Prebiotic Product, or Biotic Invention

Anastasi, Carole; Buchet, Fabien F.; Crowe, Michael A.; Parkes, Alastair L.; Powner, Matthew W.; Smith, James M.; Sutherland, John D.

doi:10.1002/chin.200726271

Cited by 6 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Nucleic acids play important roles as the blueprints for construction of all living organisms. It is hypothesized that RNA served as the precursor in a prebiotic world [6][7][8]21 . On the other hand, acyclic type XNA studies showed that acyclic nucleic acids can form homoduplex and heteroduplex with RNA or DNA, even if amino acid derivatives are used as backbones 26,[29][30][31]34,35 , indicating that ribose is not necessary for formation of stable duplex structure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…eno nucleic acids (XNAs) are synthetic analogues that retain natural nucleobases but are replaced with backbone structures different from DNA and RNA. They have potential for use in nucleic acid-based drugs, in development of artificial genetic polymers, and in the prebiotic field [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] . In the past decades, many nucleic acid analogues have been developed.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Intrastrand backbone-nucleobase interactions stabilize unwound right-handed helical structures of heteroduplexes of L-aTNA/RNA and SNA/RNA

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Xeno nucleic acids, which are synthetic analogues of natural nucleic acids, have potential for use in nucleic acid drugs and as orthogonal genetic biopolymers and prebiotic precursors. Although few acyclic nucleic acids can stably bind to RNA and DNA, serinol nucleic acid (SNA) and L-threoninol nucleic acid (L-aTNA) stably bind to them. Here we disclose crystal structures of RNA hybridizing with SNA and with L-aTNA. The heteroduplexes show unwound right-handed helical structures. Unlike canonical A-type duplexes, the base pairs in the heteroduplexes align perpendicularly to the helical axes, and consequently helical pitches are large. The unwound helical structures originate from interactions between nucleobases and neighbouring backbones of L-aTNA and SNA through CH–O bonds. In addition, SNA and L-aTNA form a triplex structure via C:G*G parallel Hoogsteen interactions with RNA. The unique structural features of the RNA-recognizing mode of L-aTNA and SNA should prove useful in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and basic research into prebiotic chemistry.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Intrastrand backbone-nucleobase interactions stabilize unwound right-handed helical structures of heteroduplexes of L-aTNA/RNA and SNA/RNA

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This difficulty has led researchers to hypothesize that other information-carrying molecules, the components of which might be more easily formed than those of RNA, may have preceded RNA (Orgel, 2000; Anastasi et al, 2007). To understand the choice of ribose and deoxyribose in natural systems, Eschenmoser and coworkers systematically investigated structural alternatives to RNA (Eschenmoser, 1999).…”

Section: Nonenzymatic Translation Of Nucleic Acids Into Synthetic Polmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…See Anastasi et al (2007); Eschenmoser (1999); Hendrix et al (1997a); Zhan and Lynn (1997); Leitzel and Lynn (2001); Li et al (2002); Li and Lynn (2002); Hud et al (2007); Nielsen (1995); Dueholm et al (1994); Englund and Appella (1995); and Nelson et al (2000).…”

Section: Figuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Progress Toward the Templated Synthesis and Directed Evolution of Sequence-Defined Synthetic Polymers

Brudno

Liu

2009

Chemistry & Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Biological polymers such as nucleic acids and proteins are ubiquitous in living systems, but their ability to address problems beyond those found in nature is constrained by factors such as chemical or biological instability, limited building-block functionality, bioavailability, and immunogenicity. In principle, sequence-defined synthetic polymers based on nonbiological monomers and backbones might overcome these constraints; however, identifying the sequence of a synthetic polymer that possesses a specific desired functional property remains a major challenge. Molecular evolution can rapidly generate functional polymers but requires a means of translating amplifiable templates such as nucleic acids into the polymer being evolved. This review covers recent advances in the enzymatic and nonenzymatic templated polymerization of nonnatural polymers and their potential applications in the directed evolution of sequence-defined synthetic polymers.

show abstract

“…Models of catalytic reaction networks have been widely investigated in the last decades, with different goals and purposes, yet mostly in regard to the broad theme of the origin of life and with the design of artificial protocells (Carletti et al, 2008;Filisetti et al, 2010;Rasmussen et al, 2004;Serra et al, 2007;Szostak et al, 2001). In particular, in the quest for a reasonable theory describing the transition from non-living to living matter, many frameworks have been proposed, among others the metabolic-first scenario (Dyson, 1985;Smith and Morowitz, 2004;Wächtershäuser, 1990;de Duve, 1982), the protein-first hypothesis (Oparin, 1924;Fox, 1974;Lee et al, 1996Lee et al, , 1997Issac and Chmielewski, 2002), the compartmentalization (Bachmann et al, 1992), the compositional approach (Segré et al, 1999;Segre et al, 1998;Segré and Lancet, 2000) and the gene-first hypothesis included in the RNA world theory (Gilbert, 1986;Müller, 2006;De Lucrezia et al, 2007;Anastasi et al, 2007;Talini et al, 2009;Rios and Tor, 2009;Budin and Szostak, 2010). Even if the dispute is far from being concluded (Cornish-Bowden and Cárdenas, 2008;Stano and Luisi, 2010;Schrum et al, 2010;Budin and Szostak, 2010), one of the underlying key requirements in most of these theories is that the production of the molecular species involved in the transition relies on robust reaction pathways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of backward reactions in a stochastic model of catalytic reaction networks

Filisetti¹,

Graudenzi

Damiani³

et al. 2013

Advances in Artificial Life, ECAL 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We investigate the role of backward reactions in a stochastic model of catalytic reaction network, with specific regard to the influence on the emergence of autocatalytic sets (ACSs), which are supposed to be one of the pre-requisites in the transition between non-living to living matter.\ud In particular, we analyse the impact that a variation in the kinetic rates of forward and backward reactions may have on the overall dynamics.\ud Significant effects are indeed observed, provided that the intensity of backward reactions is sufficiently high. In spite of an invariant activity of the system in terms of production of new species, as backward reactions are intensified, the emergence of ACSs becomes more likely and an increase in their number, as well as in the proportion of species belonging to them, is observed. Furthermore, ACSs appear to be more robust to fluctuations than in the usual settings with no backward reaction.\ud This outcome may rely not only on the higher average connectivity of the reaction graph, but also on the distinguishing property of backward reactions of recreating the substrates of the corresponding forward reactions

show abstract

RNA: Prebiotic Product, or Biotic Invention

Cited by 6 publications

References 1 publication

Intrastrand backbone-nucleobase interactions stabilize unwound right-handed helical structures of heteroduplexes of L-aTNA/RNA and SNA/RNA

Intrastrand backbone-nucleobase interactions stabilize unwound right-handed helical structures of heteroduplexes of L-aTNA/RNA and SNA/RNA

Recent Progress Toward the Templated Synthesis and Directed Evolution of Sequence-Defined Synthetic Polymers

The role of backward reactions in a stochastic model of catalytic reaction networks

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About