Abstract
A main unsolved problem in the RNA World scenario for the origin of life is how a template-dependent RNA polymerase ribozyme emerged from short RNA oligomers obtained by random polymerization on mineral surfaces. A number of computational studies have shown that the structural repertoire yielded by that process is dominated by topologically simple structures, notably hairpin-like ones. A fraction of these could display RNA ligase activity and catalyze the assembly of larger, eventually functional RNA molecules retaining their previous modular structure: molecular complexity increases but template replication is absent. This allows us to build up a stepwise model of ligation- based, modular evolution that could pave the way to the emergence of a ribozyme with RNA replicase activity, step at which information-driven Darwinian evolution would be triggered.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 743-749 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | RNA |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Early online date | 24 Mar 2009 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 2009 |
Bibliographical note
Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 3.0 Unported License (CC-BY-NC), as described at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/. This license permits non-commercial use, including reproduction, adaptation, and distribution of the article provided the original author and source are credited.Keywords
- RNA folding
- structural motif
- modular evolution
- RNA ligation
- hairpin ribozyme
- RNA polymerase