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RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...
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Visualization and Quantification of Intermolecular RNA Base Pairing in in vitro RNA Clusters Using Split Broccoli RNA Reporters
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Ice as a protocellular medium for RNA replication.

James Attwater1, Aniela Wochner, Vitor B Pinheiro

  • 1MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK.

Nature Communications
|September 25, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Ice facilitated the origin of life by enabling RNA self-replication and compartmentalization before cell membranes formed. This natural medium supported key prebiotic chemistry and evolution.

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Area of Science:

  • Origin of Life Studies
  • Astrobiology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • The emergence of self-replicating informational polymers and protocellular structures was critical for the origin of life.
  • Previous research indicated eutectic ice phases could facilitate prebiotic nucleotide synthesis and RNA oligomerization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of ice's physicochemical properties in mediating the transition to self-replicating RNA and protocells.
  • To determine if ice could support RNA replication and compartmentalization prior to the evolution of cell membranes.

Main Methods:

  • Studied the activity and stability of an RNA polymerase ribozyme within an ice medium.
  • Assessed the impact of ice on RNA replication efficiency and product length.
  • Examined the compartmentalization potential of eutectic ice phases for RNA molecules.

Main Results:

  • Ice significantly promoted the activity of an RNA polymerase ribozyme.
  • Ice protected RNA from hydrolytic degradation, allowing synthesis of long replication products.
  • Ice obviated the need for high substrate concentrations and provided quasicellular compartmentalization.
  • Eutectic ice phases were shown to support both RNA synthesis and self-replication.

Conclusions:

  • Physicochemical properties of ice could have mediated the emergence of self-replicating RNA and protocellular structures.
  • Ice provided a conducive environment for key steps in the origin of life, including prebiotic synthesis and RNA replication.
  • Ice-mediated processes support a model for early RNA-based evolution preceding the development of lipid membranes.