Efficient Assembly of Functional RNA by <i>in Situ</i> Phosphate Activation and Loop-Closing Ligation.

ABSTRACT: How ribozymes might have emerged prior to the evolution of an efficient RNA replicase remains an open question. A potential solution involves the nonenzymatic ligation of RNA oligomers that are short enough to have been replicated by nonenzymatic chemistry. However, the high concentrations of metal ions that facilitate ligation are incompatible with primitive protocells. In addition, the mode of oligoribonucleotide 5'-phosphate activation is unclear, and in an aqueous environment the competing hydrolysis of such activated intermediates limits ligation efficiency. In this study, we have investigated the template-independent assembly of structured RNAs via loop-closing ligation using a potentially prebiotic in situ phosphate activation approach. We demonstrate that the 5'-phosphate of

SUBMITTER: Zhang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12576782 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature