Work

Potentially Prebiotic Activation Chemistry Compatible with Nonenzymatic RNA Copying

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT The nonenzymatic replication of ribonucleic acid (RNA) oligonucleotides may have enabled the propagation of genetic information during the origin of life. RNA copying can be initiated in the laboratory with chemically activated nucleotides, but continued copying requires a source of chemical energy for in situ nucleotide activation. Recent work has illuminated a potentially prebiotic cyanosulfidic chemistry that activates nucleotides, but its application to nonenzymatic RNA copying remains a challenge. Here we report a novel pathway that enables the activation of RNA nucleotides in a manner that is compatible with template-directed nonenzymatic polymerization. We show that this pathway selectively yields the reactive imidazolium-bridged dinucleotide intermediate required for nonenzymatic template-directed RNA copying. Our results will enable more realistic prebiotic chemical simulations of RNA copying based on continuous in situ nucleotide activation.

Source: Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c05300

Authors: Stephanie J. Zhang, Daniel Duzdevich, Jack W. Szostak

Institutions: Harvard University, Harvard University Press, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Origins and Evolution of Life

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $5,000

Funders: National Science Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Simons Foundation, Division of Chemistry