Generation of RNA Molecules by a Base‐Catalysed Click‐Like Reaction
Abstract
The problem of the abiotic origin of RNA from prebiotically plausible compounds remains unsolved. As a potential partial solution, we report the spontaneous polymerization of 3′,5′‐cyclic GMP in water, in formamide, in dimethylformamide, and (in water) in the presence of a Brønsted base such as 1,8‐diazabicycloundec‐7‐ene. The reaction is untemplated, does not require enzymatic activities, is thermodynamically favoured and selectively yields 3′,5′‐bonded ribopolymers containing as many as 25 nucleotides. We propose a reaction pathway on the basis of 1) the measured stacking of the 3′,5′‐cyclic monomers, 2) the activation by Brønsted bases, 3) the determination (by MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry, by 31 P NMR, and by specific ribonucleases) of the molecular species produced. The reaction pathway has several of the attributes of a click‐like reaction.
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- Authors
- Costanzo, G., Saladino, R., Botta, G., Giorgi, A., Scipioni, A., Pino, S., & Di Mauro, E.
- Affiliations
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology (IT)
- Università degli Studi della Tuscia (IT)
- Sapienza University of Rome (IT)
- Istituto Pasteur (IT)
- Venue
- ChemBioChem
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2012-03-30
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 999-1008
- ISSN
- 1439-4227 (ISSN-L)
- 1439-7633
- OpenAlex
- W2018142855
- Cited by
- 62
- References
- 49
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 3.15
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- ChemBioChem (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- UnitusOpen (Tuscia University) (submittedVersion)
- IRIS Research product catalog (Sapienza University of Rome) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › DNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry
- Keywords
- Brønsted base catalysis, nucleotide stacking, prebiotic chemistry, nucleotide activation
- MeSH terms
- Catalysis, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, RNA, Molecular Structure, Click Chemistry, Polymerization
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