Nonenzymatic assembly of active chimeric ribozymes from aminoacylated RNA oligonucleotides.

ABSTRACT: Aminoacylated transfer RNAs, which harbor a covalent linkage between amino acids and RNA, are a universally conserved feature of life. Because they are essential substrates for ribosomal translation, aminoacylated oligonucleotides must have been present in the RNA world prior to the evolution of the ribosome. One possibility we are exploring is that the aminoacyl ester linkage served another function before being recruited for ribosomal protein synthesis. The nonenzymatic assembly of ribozymes from short RNA oligomers under realistic conditions remains a key challenge in demonstrating a plausible pathway from prebiotic chemistry to the RNA world. Here, we show that aminoacylated RNAs can undergo template-directed assembly into chimeric amino acid-RNA polymers that are active ribozymes. We

SUBMITTER: Radakovic A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8851484 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature