Processive RNA polymerization and promoter recognition in an RNA World

Early life is thought to have required the self-replication of RNA by RNA replicases. However, how such replicases evolved and subsequently enabled gene expression remains largely unexplored. We engineered and selected a holopolymerase ribozyme that uses a sigma factor–like specificity primer to first recognize an RNA promoter sequence and then, in a second step, rearrange to a processive elongation form. Using its own sequence, the polymerase can also program itself to polymerize from certain RNA promoters and not others. This selective promoter–based polymerization could allow an RNA replicase ribozyme to define "self" from "nonself," an important development for the avoidance of replicative parasites. Moreover, the clamp-like mechanism of this polymerase could eventually enable strand invasion, a critical requirement for replication in the early evolution of life.
Source: ScienceNOW - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Biochemistry, Molecular Biology r-articles Source Type: news