Nonenzymatic RNA replication in a mixture of ‘spent’ nucleotides

In this study, we characterised the effect of a mixture of ‘spent’ nucleotides on template-directed nonenzymatic RNA replication, to understand how they might affect the reaction rates. Nonenzymatic template-directed replication would have been affected by co-solutes in a heterogenous prebiotic soup due to lack of enzymatic machinery. Unlike in contemporary biology, these reactions use chemically-activated nucleotides, which undergo rapid hydrolysis forming nucleoside monophosphates ( ‘spent’ monomers). These co-solutes cannot extend the primer but continue to base pair with the template, thereby interfering with replication. We, therefore, aimed to understand how a mixture of ‘spent’ ribonucleotides would affect nonenzymatic replication. We observed inhibition of replica tion in the mixture, wherein the predominant contribution came from the cognate Watson-Crick monomer, showing potential sequence dependence. Our study highlights how nonenzymatic RNA replication would have been directly affected by co-solutes, with ramifications for the emergence of functional polym ers in an RNA World.
Source: FEBS Letters - Category: Biochemistry Authors: Tags: Research Article Source Type: research