UVC photon-induced denaturing of DNA: A possible dissipative route to Archean enzyme-less replication.

ABSTRACT: Non-equilibrium thermodynamics is a relevant framework from within which to address formidable difficulties encountered in explaining the origin of life; from molecular synthesis and complexation, enzyme-less proliferation, to evolution (including the acquisition of homochirality and information). From within this framework we have proposed that the origin of life was the origin of the dissipative structuring of organic pigments which became the fundamental molecules of life (e.g. RNA and DNA) proliferated through autocatalytic photochemical reactions under the thermodynamic imperative of dissipating the imposed UVC solar photon flux available at the Archean surface. Here we present experimental evidence demonstrating that the absorption and dissipation of UVC light by synthetic DNA of 25

SUBMITTER: Michaelian K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6584779 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature