Origin of Life. A Simpler Nucleic Acid

Overview

Journal Science

Specialty Science

Date 2001 Feb 24

PMID 11185405

Citations 22

Authors

L Orgel

Affiliations

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Abstract

What was the genetic material of the earliest life forms on Earth if it was not RNA? As Orgel explains in his Perspective, the answer may be simpler nucleic acid polymers perhaps like the RNA analogs called (L)-a-threofuranosyl oligonucleotides or TNAs (Schöning et al.). These molecules have threose rather than ribose in their sugar-phosphate backbones and yet retain many of the properties of RNA including the ability to pair up in double helices.

Citing Articles

DNA Replication across α-l-(3'-2')-Threofuranosyl Nucleotides Mediated by Human DNA Polymerase η.

Tomar R, Ghodke P, Patra A, Smyth E, Pontarelli A, Copp W Biochemistry. 2024; 63(19):2425-2439.

PMID: 39259676 PMC: 11447838. DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.4c00387.

Electrochemical Wearable Biosensors and Bioelectronic Devices Based on Hydrogels: Mechanical Properties and Electrochemical Behavior.

Saeidi M, Chenani H, Orouji M, Rastkhiz M, Bolghanabadi N, Vakili S Biosensors (Basel). 2023; 13(8).

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Thermodynamic and Kinetic Sequence Selection in Enzyme-Free Polymer Self-Assembly inside a Non-equilibrium RNA Reactor.

Goppel T, Rosenberger J, Altaner B, Gerland U Life (Basel). 2022; 12(4).

PMID: 35455058 PMC: 9032526. DOI: 10.3390/life12040567.

Hitting Times of Some Critical Events in RNA Origins of Life.

Bastian C, Rabitz H Life (Basel). 2021; 11(12).

PMID: 34947949 PMC: 8705503. DOI: 10.3390/life11121419.

An RNA-cleaving threose nucleic acid enzyme capable of single point mutation discrimination.

Wang Y, Wang Y, Song D, Sun X, Li Z, Chen J Nat Chem. 2021; 14(3):350-359.

PMID: 34916596 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-021-00847-3.