Impact of 2'-deoxyribo-purine substrates on nonenzymatic RNA template-directed primer extension.

ABSTRACT: The composition of the primordial genetic material remains uncertain. Studies of duplex structure and stability, and of nonenzymatic template copying chemistry, provide insight into the viability of potentially primordial genetic polymers. Recent work suggests that 2'-deoxyribo-purine nucleotides may have been generated together with ribonucleotides on the early Earth. Since DNA/RNA duplexes are known to be less stable than RNA/RNA duplexes, we have examined the impact of dA, dI, and dG substitutions on RNA structure and nonenzymatic template copying. We find that single 2'-deoxyribo-purine substitutions reduce RNA duplex stability, as expected. Crystallographic studies show that such substitutions lead to minimal structural changes but point to diminished solvation as a likely reason for

SUBMITTER: Fang Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12630140 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature