Nucleic acid-like structures II. Polynucleotide analogues as possible primitive precursors of nucleic acids (original) (raw)

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The study of primitive nucleic acid-like structures is crucial for understanding the origins of life and the evolution of genetic information transfer. This research demonstrates that activated derivatives of purine-containing deoxynucleoside diphosphates can spontaneously oligomerize into pyrophosphate-linked oligodeoxynucleotide analogues, suggesting that simpler systems may have facilitated early information transfer before the emergence of modern polynucleotides.

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Abstract

Activated derivatives of purine-containing deoxynucleoside- diphosphates spontaneously oligomerize to produce pyrophosphate- linked oligodeoxynucleotide analogues. These analogues are of potential interest as models of primitive, polynucleotide precursors. The efficiency of oligomerization (ImpdGpIm and ImpdApIm much greater than ImpdIpIm) appears to reflect a combination of stacking forces and the specific geometric orientations of the stacked units. Under favorable conditions, chain lengths greater than 20 have been obtained for oligomers containing pdGp in the absence of a template. In the presence of a complementary template, the activated derivatives of pdGp and pdAp oligomerize much more extensively. An acyclo-analogue of G has also been shown to undergo template-directed oligomerization on poly(C). These observations suggest the possibility that primitive information transfer might have evolved in much simpler systems and that this function was taken over by polynucleotides at a later stage in evolution.

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Abbreviations

(A):

adenosine

(C):

cytidine

(U):

uridine

(G):

guanosine

(I):

inosine

dA, dG, dI:

the 2′-deoxynucleosides of A, G, and I

pdN (N is A, G, or I):

the 5′-phosphate of dN

dNp:

the 3′-phosphate of dN

ImpdNpIm:

the 3′, 5′-diphosphoimidazolide of N

pN:

the 5′-phosphate of N

2-MeImpG:

the 2′-methylimidazolide of pG

poly(A):

polyadenylic acid

poly(U):

polyuridylic acid

poly(C):

polycytidylic acid

TEAB:

triethyl ammonium bicarbonate

KEDTA:

the potassium salt of ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid

DMF:

dimethyl formamide

DMSO:

dimethyl sulfoxide

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Authors and Affiliations

1. Laboratory for Exobiology, Faculty of Science, University of Nijmegen, Toernooiveld, 6525 ED, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
   Alan W. Schwartz, J. Visscher, C. G. Bakker & J. Niessen

Authors

1. Alan W. Schwartz
2. J. Visscher
3. C. G. Bakker
4. J. Niessen

Additional information

For the previous paper in this series see Schwartz and Orgel, 1985a.

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Schwartz, A.W., Visscher, J., Bakker, C.G. et al. Nucleic acid-like structures II. Polynucleotide analogues as possible primitive precursors of nucleic acids.Origins Life Evol Biosphere 17, 351–357 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02386473

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• Received: 13 January 1987
• Issue date: September 1987
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02386473

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