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Pyrophosphate formation as the most efficient condensation reaction of activated nucleotides

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Summary

When an oligonucleotide primer pG10 is incubated with the nucleotide analogue 9-[3-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)prop-1-yl] guanine diphosphate (\(p\overline{\overline G} p\), I) in the presence of poly(C), addition of the monomer occurs almost exclusively at the 5′-terminal phosphate rather than the 3′-terminalcis-glycol. The implications of this finding in the context of prebiotic condensation reactions are discussed.

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Rodriguez, L., Orgel, L.E. Pyrophosphate formation as the most efficient condensation reaction of activated nucleotides. J Mol Evol 32, 101–104 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02515382

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02515382

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