Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Jul 10;3(8):603-8.
doi: 10.1038/nchem.1086.

Efficient enzyme-free copying of all four nucleobases templated by immobilized RNA

Affiliations

Efficient enzyme-free copying of all four nucleobases templated by immobilized RNA

Christopher Deck et al. Nat Chem. .

Abstract

The transition from inanimate materials to the earliest forms of life must have involved multiplication of a catalytically active polymer that is able to replicate. The semiconservative replication that is characteristic of genetic information transfer requires strands that contain more than one type of nucleobase. Short strands of RNA can act as catalysts, but attempts to induce efficient self-copying of mixed sequences (containing four different nucleobases) have been unsuccessful with ribonucleotides. Here we show that inhibition by spent monomers, formed by the hydrolysis of the activated nucleotides, is the cause for incomplete extension of growing daughter strands on RNA templates. Immobilization of strands and periodic displacement of the solution containing the activated monomers overcome this inhibition. Any of the four nucleobases (A/C/G/U) is successfully copied in the absence of enzymes. We conclude therefore that in a prebiotic world, oligoribonucleotides may have formed and undergone self-copying on surfaces.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Nature. 2002 Dec 19-26;420(6917):841-4 - PubMed
    1. J Am Chem Soc. 2006 Jul 12;128(27):8914-9 - PubMed
    1. Nature. 2009 May 14;459(7244):239-42 - PubMed
    1. Chem Commun (Camb). 2007 May 21;(19):1896-8 - PubMed
    1. Nature. 1998 Nov 19;396(6708):245-8 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources