In vitro selection of halo-thermophilic RNA reveals two families of resistant RNA

The “RNA world” hypothesis proposes that early in the evolution of life, RNA was responsible both for the storage and transfer of genetic information and for the catalysis of biochemical reactions. One of the problems of the hypothesis is that RNA is known to be temperature sensitive. Nevertheless,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Gene 2006-04, Vol.371 (2), p.182-193
Main Authors: Vergne, Jacques, Cognet, Jean A.H., Szathmáry, Eörs, Maurel, Marie-Christine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amplification
Base Sequence
Biodiversity
Cloning, Molecular
DNA Primers
Early evolution
High salt concentration
High temperature
Hot Temperature
Life Sciences
Molecular Sequence Data
Nucleic Acid Conformation
Origins of life
Populations and Evolution
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
RNA - genetics
RNA stability
RNA world
Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
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Summary:The “RNA world” hypothesis proposes that early in the evolution of life, RNA was responsible both for the storage and transfer of genetic information and for the catalysis of biochemical reactions. One of the problems of the hypothesis is that RNA is known to be temperature sensitive. Nevertheless, different types of sequences with a thermostable phenotype may exist. In order to test this possibility, we applied an in vitro evolution method (SELEX) to isolate RNA molecules that are resistant at high temperatures (80 °C for 65 h) and high salt concentrations (2 M NaCl). The sequences of the resulting cloned halo-thermophilic RNAs can be grouped in two families (I and II) possessing very different thermal and chemical stabilities and very different secondary structures. The selected RNA molecules illustrate two different possibilities leading to thermal resistance which may be related to primitive conditions. We propose that members of family I constitute a good means of storing sequence information while members of family II are less efficient but replicate faster in early steps of the SELEX. These selected RNA behaviors may be related to primitive conditions and could allow to define limits for survival, and demonstrate that what is at stake for RNA molecules, as for living organisms, is survival and reproduction.
ISSN:0378-1119
1879-0038
DOI:10.1016/j.gene.2005.11.030