Template switching between PNA and RNA oligonucleotides

The origin of the RNA world is not easily understood, as effective prebiotic syntheses of the components of RNA, the beta-ribofuranoside-5'-phosphates, are hard to envisage. Recognition of this difficulty has led to the proposal that other genetic systems, the components of which are more easil...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 1995-08, Vol.376 (6541), p.578-581
Main Authors: Bohler, C., Nielsen, P. E., Orgel, L. E., Miller, S. L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Base Sequence
Biological and medical sciences
Biological evolution
Biopolymers - chemistry
Catalysis
Exobiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genetics
Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution
Guanosine Monophosphate - analogs & derivatives
Guanosine Monophosphate - chemistry
Molecular Sequence Data
Nucleic Acid Conformation
Oligonucleotides - biosynthesis
Oligonucleotides - chemistry
Peptide Biosynthesis
Peptides
Peptides - chemistry
Ribonucleic acid
RNA
RNA - biosynthesis
RNA - chemistry
Space life sciences
Templates, Genetic
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Summary:The origin of the RNA world is not easily understood, as effective prebiotic syntheses of the components of RNA, the beta-ribofuranoside-5'-phosphates, are hard to envisage. Recognition of this difficulty has led to the proposal that other genetic systems, the components of which are more easily formed, may have preceded RNA. This raises the question of how transitions between one genetic system and another could occur. Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) resembles RNA in its ability to form double-helical complexes stabilized by Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding between adenine and thymine and between cytosine and guanine, but has a backbone that is held together by amide rather than by phosphodiester bonds. Oligonucleotides bases on RNA are known to act as templates that catalyse the non-enzymatic synthesis of their complements from activated mononucleotides, we now show that RNA oligonucleotides facilitate the synthesis of complementary PNA strands and vice versa. This suggests that a transition between different genetic systems can occur without loss of information.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/376578a0