Cited by 114Origins and Evolution of LifeRNA and protein synthesis mechanismsEvolution and Genetic Dynamics

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The dawn of the RNA World: Toward functional complexity through ligation of random RNA oligomers

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Briones, Carlos, Stich, Michael, Manrubia, Susanna C.·2009·RNA

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Abstract

A main unsolved problem in the RNA World scenario for the origin of life is how a template-dependent RNA polymerase ribozyme emerged from short RNA oligomers obtained by random polymerization on mineral surfaces. A number of computational studies have shown that the structural repertoire yielded by that process is dominated by topologically simple structures, notably hairpin-like ones. A fraction of these could display RNA ligase activity and catalyze the assembly of larger, eventually functional RNA molecules retaining their previous modular structure: molecular complexity increases but template replication is absent. This allows us to build up a stepwise model of ligation-based, modular evolution that could pave the way to the emergence of a ribozyme with RNA replicase activity, step at which information-driven Darwinian evolution would be triggered.

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Authors: Briones, C., Stich, M., & Manrubia, S. C.
Affiliations: Centro de Astrobiología (ES)
ORCID: Briones, Carlos
Stich, Michael
Manrubia, Susanna C.
Venue: RNA
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Published: 2009-03-24
Volume: 15
Issue: 5
Pages: 743-749
ISSN: 1355-8382 (ISSN-L)
1469-9001
DOI: 10.1261/rna.1488609
PMC: PMC2673073
OpenAlex: W2127447806
Cited by: 114
References: 61
Citations by year: 2026: 7 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 9
FWCI: 2.85
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: bronze
doi.org
Locations: RNA (publishedVersion)
PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Aston Publications Explorer (Aston University) (submittedVersion)
DIGITAL.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)) (submittedVersion)
HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
Funders: Indian National Science Academy
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, RNA oligomers, mineral surfaces, ribozyme evolution, RNA replicase, hairpin structure, Darwinian evolution
MeSH terms: Origin of Life, Nucleic Acid Conformation, RNA, Catalytic, Evolution, Molecular, Inverted Repeat Sequences

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The dawn of the RNA World: Toward functional complexity through ligation of random RNA oligomers

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