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Salt-Promoted Synthesis of RNA-like Molecules in Simulated Hydrothermal Conditions

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Abstract

A fundamental problem in origins of life research is how the first polymers with the properties of nucleic acids were synthesized and incorporated into living systems on the prebiotic Earth. Here, we show that RNA-like polymers can be synthesized non-enzymatically from 5′-phosphate mononucleosides in salty environments. The polymers were identified and analyzed by gel electrophoresis, nanopore analysis, UV spectra, and action of RNases. The synthesis of phosphodiester bonds is driven by the chemical potential made available in the fluctuating hydrated and anhydrous conditions of hydrothermal fields associated with volcanic land masses.

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Acknowledgments

The hydrothermal simulation research is supported by a generous gift from the Harry Lonsdale Research Award. We are grateful to Jacques Vergne and to Jean-Luc Décout for valuable discussions related to this work, and Veronica De Guzman for expert nanopore analysis of the hydrothermal polymers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMR 7205-ISyEB, CNRS-MNHN-UPMC, 75005, Paris, France

    Laura Da Silva & Marie-Christine Maurel

  2. Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA

    David Deamer

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  1. Laura Da Silva
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  2. Marie-Christine Maurel
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  3. David Deamer
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Correspondence to Marie-Christine Maurel or David Deamer.

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Da Silva, L., Maurel, MC. & Deamer, D. Salt-Promoted Synthesis of RNA-like Molecules in Simulated Hydrothermal Conditions. J Mol Evol 80, 86–97 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00239-014-9661-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00239-014-9661-9

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