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Cited by 157Origins and Evolution of LifeRNA and protein synthesis mechanismsDNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry

Abiotic synthesis of purine and pyrimidine ribonucleosides in aqueous microdroplets

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Nam, Inho, Nam, Hong Gil, Zare, Richard N.·2018·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.1073/pnas.1718559115PMC PMC5776833
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Abstract

Significance Discovery of an improved prebiotic method for the synthesis of ribonucleosides provides support to theories that posit a central role for RNA in the origin of life. It has been assumed that ribonucleosides arose through an abiotic process in which ribose and nucleobases became conjoined, but the direct condensation of nucleobases with ribose to give ribonucleosides in bulk solution is thermodynamically uphill. We show a general synthetic path for ribonucleosides, both purine and pyrimidine bases, using an abiotic salvage pathway in a microdroplet environment with divalent magnesium ion (Mg 2+ ) as a catalyst. Purine and pyrimidine ribonucleosides are formed simultaneously under the same conditions, which suggests a possible scenario for the spontaneous production of random ribonucleosides necessary to generate various types of primitive RNA.

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Crossref · 10.1073/pnas.1718559115

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  • Nam et al. and Powner et al. described surface conditions in which nucleosides and nucleotides can be nonenzymatically synthesized.

    “Nam et al. (2018) and Powner et al. (2009) described surface conditions in which nucleosides and nucleotides can also be nonenzymatically synthesized.”

    From The Hot Spring Hypothesis for an Origin of Life (2020) · cites this paper as Nam et al. (2018)

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 29

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Authors
Nam, I., Nam, H. G., & Zare, R. N.
Affiliations
  • Institute for Basic Science (KR)
  • Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (KR)
  • Stanford University (US)
Corresponding author
  • Nam, Hong Gil
  • Zare, Richard N.
ORCID
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Published
2017-12-18
Volume
115
Issue
1
Pages
36-40
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.1718559115
PMC
PMC5776833
OpenAlex
W2776846038
Cited by
157
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 8
FWCI
6.73
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • DOD | USAF | AFMC | Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR FA 9550-12-1-0400)
  • Institute for Basic Science (IBS R013-D1)
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
abiotic synthesis, ribonucleosides, purine ribonucleosides, prebiotic chemistry, origin of life, RNA, microdroplets, magnesium ion catalysis, ribose, nucleobases
MeSH terms
Purine Nucleosides, Pyrimidine Nucleosides

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