The dynamics of the RNA world: insights and challenges
Abstract
The RNA world hypothesis of the origin of life, in which RNA emerged as both enzyme and information carrier, is receiving solid experimental support. The prebiotic synthesis of biomolecules, the catalytic aid offered by mineral surfaces, and the vast enzymatic repertoire of ribozymes are only pieces of the origin of life puzzle; the full picture can only emerge if the pieces fit together by either following from one another or coexisting with each other. Here, we review the theory of the origin, maintenance, and enhancement of the RNA world as an evolving population of dynamical systems. The dynamical view of the origin of life allows us to pinpoint the missing and the not fitting pieces: (1) How can the first self‐replicating ribozyme emerge in the absence of template‐directed information replication? (2) How can nucleotide replicators avoid competitive exclusion despite utilizing the very same resources (nucleobases)? (3) How can the information catastrophe be avoided? (4) How can enough genes integrate into a cohesive system in order to transition to a cellular stage? (5) How can the way information is stored and metabolic complexity coevolve to pave to road leading out of the RNA world to the present protein–DNA world?
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The most promising prebiotic evolutionary scenario is the RNA World.
“The most promising such prebiotic evolutionary scenario is that of the RNA World [48,98,123], which has many different incarnations as regards their assumptions of the actual physical-chemical habitats of the ancient RNA populations, as well as the abstract structures of the dynamical models these assumptions imply.”
From Ecology and Evolution in the RNA World Dynamics and Stability of Prebiotic Replicator Systems (2017) · cites this paper as [48]
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Ecology and Evolution in the RNA World Dynamics and Stability of Prebiotic Replicator Systems
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“Metabolically Coupled Replicator System (MCRS) The Concept of a Metabolically Coupled RNA World All the RNA-based models of prebiotic evolution are built on the assumption—which, at the time of writing, remains empirically unproven—that the template replication of the first RNA replicators was possible in the RNA Worl…”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citation
- Authors
- Kun, Á., Szilágyi, A., Könnyű, B., Boza, G., Zachar, I., & Szathmáry, E.
- Affiliations
- Eötvös Loránd University (HU)
- Parmenides Foundation (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Szathmáry, Eörs
- Venue
- Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2015-03-03
- Volume
- 1341
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 75-95
- ISSN
- 0077-8923 (ISSN-L)
- 1749-6632
- OpenAlex
- W1939609876
- Cited by
- 65
- References
- 38
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 3
- FWCI
- 0.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Repository of the Academy's Library (Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences) (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- European Research Council (294332)
- Országos Tudományos Kutatási Alapprogramok (K100806, K100299)
- 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 › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Keywords
- RNA world, origin of life, prebiotic synthesis, mineral catalysis, competitive exclusion
- MeSH terms
- Origin of Life, Chromosomes, Models, Genetic, Nucleotides, RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase, Templates, Genetic, RNA, Catalytic, Evolution, Molecular, Biocatalysis
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