” The structure blocks of RNA release a water molecule for every bond they form in a growing RNA chain,” explains Braun, representative for the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) Molecular Evolution in Prebiotic Environments and coordinator at the ORIGINS Excellence Cluster. “When, conversely, water is added to an RNA particle, the RNA structure blocks are fed back into the prebiotic pool. The reactions take location really gradually under these conditions and need numerous days to complete, there was no scarcity of time at the start of evolution and the cold freshwater havens on primeval volcanic islands allowed RNA to make it through on the otherwise inhospitable early Earth.Reference: “High-Fidelity RNA Copying by means of 2 ′,3 ′- Cyclic Phosphate Ligation” by Adriana Calaça Serrão, Sreekar Wunnava, Avinash V. Dass, Lennard Ufer, Philipp Schwintek, Christof B. Mast and Dieter Braun, 19 March 2024, Journal of the American Chemical Society.DOI: 10.1021/ jacs.3 c10813.
” The structure blocks of RNA release a water particle for every bond they form in a growing RNA chain,” explains Braun, spokesperson for the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) Molecular Evolution in Prebiotic Environments and organizer at the ORIGINS Excellence Cluster. “When, conversely, water is added to an RNA molecule, the RNA building blocks are fed back into the prebiotic swimming pool. “Our experiments indicate that life might emerge from a really little set of molecules, under conditions such as those prevailing on volcanic islands on the early Earth,” says Adriana Serrão, lead author of the study.A New Understanding of RNA EvolutionUnder these conditions, RNA has the ability to divide without adding a water molecule. The reactions take location really gradually under these conditions and need numerous days to finish, there was no shortage of time at the start of evolution and the cold freshwater sanctuaries on primeval volcanic islands permitted RNA to survive on the otherwise unwelcoming early Earth.Reference: “High-Fidelity RNA Copying via 2 ′,3 ′- Cyclic Phosphate Ligation” by Adriana Calaça Serrão, Sreekar Wunnava, Avinash V. Dass, Lennard Ufer, Philipp Schwintek, Christof B. Mast and Dieter Braun, 19 March 2024, Journal of the American Chemical Society.DOI: 10.1021/ jacs.3 c10813.
