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Nucleotide Selectivity in Abiotic RNA Polymerization Reactions.

Kristin M Coari1, Rebecca C Martin1, Kopal Jain1

  • 1The New York Center for Astrobiology and the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY, 12180, USA.

Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere : the Journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life
|February 5, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Abiotic RNA polymerization on early Earth requires chemical reactions. Clay catalysts influence nucleotide incorporation, affecting polymer length and sequence, crucial for RNA world origins.

Keywords:
Prebiotic chemistryRNA polymerizationRNA world

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Area of Science:

  • Origin of Life Studies
  • Prebiotic Chemistry
  • RNA World Hypothesis

Background:

  • Establishing an RNA world necessitates chemical, not biochemical, nucleotide polymerization.
  • Polymer length and sequence are critical for catalytic functions like self-replication and genetic information preservation.
  • Previous abiotic RNA polymerization studies primarily focused on homopolymer formation from single nucleotides, with less attention to nucleotide mixture selectivity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the selectivity of abiotic RNA polymerization using nucleotide mixtures.
  • Understand how different nucleotides are incorporated into polymers under prebiotic conditions.
  • Determine the influence of catalysts and nucleotide combinations on RNA polymer formation.

Main Methods:

  • Performed abiotic RNA polymerization reactions using montmorillonite clay as a catalyst.
  • Utilized mixtures of activated (ImpX) and unactivated (XMP) nucleotides, including adenosine, cytosine, guanosine, uridine, and inosine.
  • Analyzed polymerization products for length and nucleotide composition using MALDI-TOF MS.

Main Results:

  • The extent of polymerization varied significantly based on the specific nucleotides present.
  • The degree of heteropolymerization versus homopolymerization was influenced by the nucleotide mixture composition.
  • The composition of the resulting RNA polymers depended on the types and number of nucleotides in the reaction.

Conclusions:

  • Montmorillonite clay facilitates abiotic RNA polymerization with varying selectivity.
  • Nucleotide composition and concentration critically affect RNA polymer formation in prebiotic mixtures.
  • These findings provide essential insights into the chemical evolution of RNA for the RNA world.