Ribozyme-catalysed RNA synthesis using triplet building blocks.
Elife
; 72018 05 15.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29759114
ABSTRACT
RNA-catalyzed RNA replication is widely believed to have supported a primordial biology. However, RNA catalysis is dependent upon RNA folding, and this yields structures that can block replication of such RNAs. To address this apparent paradox, we have re-examined the building blocks used for RNA replication. We report RNA-catalysed RNA synthesis on structured templates when using trinucleotide triphosphates (triplets) as substrates, catalysed by a general and accurate triplet polymerase ribozyme that emerged from in vitro evolution as a mutualistic RNA heterodimer. The triplets cooperatively invaded and unraveled even highly stable RNA secondary structures, and support non-canonical primer-free and bidirectional modes of RNA synthesis and replication. Triplet substrates thus resolve a central incongruity of RNA replication, and here allow the ribozyme to synthesise its own catalytic subunit '+' and '-' strands in segments and assemble them into a new active ribozyme.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Codon
/
RNA
/
RNA, Catalytic
Language:
En
Journal:
Elife
Year:
2018
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: