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Related Experiment Videos

Autocatalytic Sets and RNA Secondary Structure.

Wim Hordijk1

  • 1Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Klosterneuburg, Austria. wim@WorldWideWanderings.net.

Journal of Molecular Evolution
|April 6, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Autocatalytic sets are likely to form in RNA worlds, even with short sequences. Sequence diversity, not length, is key for these self-replicating networks, supporting the RNA world hypothesis.

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Area of Science:

  • Astrobiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Computational Biology

Background:

  • The RNA world hypothesis is a leading theory for the origin of life.
  • Challenges remain in experimentally demonstrating the spontaneous emergence of RNA networks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the likelihood of autocatalytic sets forming in RNA-based chemical reaction networks.
  • To explore factors influencing the formation of these self-sustaining networks.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a novel computational model of chemical reaction networks based on RNA secondary structure.
  • Analyzed random instances of the model using established computational tools to identify autocatalytic sub-networks.

Main Results:

Keywords:
Autocatalytic setsOrigin of lifeRNA secondary structureRNA world

Related Experiment Videos

  • Autocatalytic sets are highly probable, even in small networks and with short RNA sequences.
  • Sequence diversity is a more critical factor than sequence length for the formation of autocatalytic sets.

    • Conclusions:

    • Findings suggest that the spontaneous emergence of an RNA world, as a network of collaborative ribozymes, is more probable than previously thought.
    • Computational modeling provides insights into the conditions favoring early life emergence.