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Updated: Dec 26, 2025

Self-Assembly of Gamma-Modified Peptide Nucleic Acids into Complex Nanostructures in Organic Solvent Mixtures
Published on: June 26, 2020
A biointerface effect on the self-assembly of ribonucleic acids: a possible mechanism of RNA polymerisation in the
Noriyoshi Arai1, Yusei Kobayashi, Kenji Yasuoka
1Department of Engineering, Keio University, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan. arai@mech.keio.ac.jp.
Abstract:
Despite decades of intensive research, many questions remain on the formation and growth of the first cells on Earth. Here, we used computer simulation to compare the self-assembly process of ribonucleic acids in two environments: enclosed in a vesicle-cell membrane and in the bulk. The self-assembly was found to be more favoured in the former environment, and the origin of such a biointerface effect was identified. These results will contribute to a better understanding of the origin of life on the primitive Earth.
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