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Exploring Sequence Space to Identify Binding Sites for Regulatory RNA-Binding Proteins
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Kin Selection in the RNA World.

Samuel R Levin1, Stuart A West2

  • 1Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK. samuel.levin@zoo.ox.ac.uk.

Life (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 6, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Kin selection models explain cooperation in the RNA world. Cooperative RNA molecules likely exhibit partial cooperation and require mechanisms to overcome competition for survival.

Keywords:
Hamilton’s ruleRNA cooperationRNA worldkin selectionlimited diffusionmodelling the origin of lifeorigin of the genomescale of competition

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Area of Science:

  • Origin of life studies
  • Evolutionary biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • The RNA world hypothesis posits RNA as the precursor to DNA and proteins.
  • Cooperation among early self-replicating molecules is crucial for life's origins.
  • Understanding the drivers of cooperation in prebiotic systems is a key challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary pressures favoring cooperation among RNA molecules.
  • To model the dynamics of cooperation and competition in a simplified RNA world.
  • To explore how kin selection principles apply to early RNA-based life.

Main Methods:

  • Development of kin selection models tailored to the RNA world.
  • Simulation of RNA cooperation considering benefits, competition, and diffusion.
  • Analysis of replicator dynamics under varying population structures.

Main Results:

  • RNA molecules are predicted to exhibit partial cooperation rather than full altruism.
  • Mechanisms to overcome local competition are essential for cooperative RNA persistence.
  • RNA replication and diffusion dynamics can facilitate cooperation over competition.

Conclusions:

  • Kin selection provides a unifying framework for understanding RNA world cooperation.
  • Cooperation in early life likely involved a balance between self-interest and group benefit.
  • The study offers insights into the transition from non-living matter to life.