tRNA sequences can assemble into a replicator

Area of Science:

• Origin of life studies
• Molecular evolution
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Transfer RNA (tRNA) is a crucial ancient molecule central to genetic information transfer.
• The emergence of self-replication is a key question in understanding the origin of life.
• Investigating self-assembly mechanisms can shed light on early molecular organization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore if replication and translation can arise from a single self-assembly mechanism.
• To investigate the role of tRNA-like molecules in early molecular replication.
• To understand the potential for autonomous information replication in prebiotic systems.

Main Methods:

• Utilized oligonucleotides with minor mutations adapted from tRNA sequences.
• Induced spontaneous molecular assembly and autonomous information replication via reversible hybridization and thermal oscillations.
• Observed self-selection of cross-complementary hairpins through agglomeration and sedimentation.
• Analyzed the process of template binding, interconnection by hybridization, and separation by thermal cycling.

Main Results:

• Oligonucleotides spontaneously formed self-assembling molecular structures.
• Demonstrated autonomous, exponential, cross-catalytic replication of binary sequences with 85-90% fidelity.
• Showcased that thermal oscillations drive replication by separating templates and replicates.
• Identified a self-selection mechanism for cross-complementary hairpins.

Conclusions:

• Self-assembly of tRNA-like sequences can lead to autonomous molecular replication.
• Early forms of tRNA may have been involved in molecular replication mechanisms.
• This finding links the evolution of translation to a fundamental process of molecular replication.
• Suggests a potential unified mechanism for the emergence of replication and translation.