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A Plausible Prebiotic Path to Nucleosides: Ribosides and Related Aldosides Generated from Ribulose, Fructose, and
Tyler P Roche1, David M Fialho1, Cesar Menor-Salván2
1School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
Chemistry (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|October 19, 2022
Summary
Prebiotic synthesis of RNA foundations is clarified. Ketose sugars, not just ribose, can form essential nucleosides, simplifying early life chemistry.
Area of Science:
- Astrobiology
- Organic Chemistry
- Biochemistry
Background:
- The RNA world hypothesis posits RNA as a precursor to life.
- Abiotic synthesis of sugars is known, but selective ribose production is challenging.
- Ketose sugars like ribulose and fructose form readily under prebiotic conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prebiotic formation of nucleosides and aldosides from readily available ketose sugars.
- To determine if free ribose is essential for forming RNA precursors.
Main Methods:
- Glycoside-forming reactions using ketose sugars (ketopentoses and ketohexoses) and barbituric acid (a prebiotic nucleobase).
- A one-pot reaction between glyceraldehyde and barbituric acid under mild conditions.
Main Results:
- Ketose sugars were shown to be effective precursors for ribosides and other aldosides.
- A novel one-pot reaction yielded glycosides from glyceraldehyde and barbituric acid without harsh catalysts.
- This demonstrates the formation of essential components for life without requiring high yields of free ribose.
Conclusions:
- The direct, high-yield synthesis of ribose is not a prerequisite for the formation of RNA precursors.
- Ketose sugars offer a viable alternative pathway for prebiotic nucleoside synthesis.
- These findings support the plausibility of the RNA world hypothesis by simplifying early biochemical requirements.
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