Transfer-RNA, an early gene?
Abstract
The theory of self-reproductive molecular systems involves the consequence that translation must have started from a selected distribution of RNA molecules, that comprised GC-rich sequences of a length less than 100 nucleotides. This implies a joint function of messenger and adaptor, which both had to be recruited from the same mutant distribution. The reconstruction of tRNA precursors yields such a molecule showing some reverberation of a codon pattern GNC. These findings suggest that tRNA has been the earliest component of the translation machinery.
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The origin of biomolecular machinery likely centered around the tRNA-amino acid alliance, both being ancient molecules in the prebiotic environment.
“The origin of biomolecular machinery likely centered around the tRNA-amino acid alliance, both being ancient molecules in the prebiotic environment [74,117].”
From The Origin of Prebiotic Information System in the Peptide/RNA World: A Simulation Model of the Evolution of Translation and the Genetic Code (2019) · cites this paper as [74]
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- Authors
- Eigen, M., & Winkler-Oswatitsch, R.
- Affiliations
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry (DE)
- Venue
- Naturwissenschaften
- Published
- 1981-06
- Volume
- 68
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 282-292
- ISSN
- 0028-1042 (ISSN-L)
- 1432-1904
- OpenAlex
- W2009345053
- Cited by
- 242
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 3.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Die Naturwissenschaften (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Keywords
- tRNA, origin of translation, early genes, tRNA precursors, mRNA, GC-rich sequences
- MeSH terms
- Base Sequence, Codon, Biological Evolution, Genes, Genetic Code, Nucleic Acid Conformation, Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid, RNA, Transfer, Protein Biosynthesis
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