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Cited by 55Origins and Evolution of LifeRNA and protein synthesis mechanismsEvolution and Genetic Dynamics

How Amino Acids and Peptides Shaped the RNA World

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Van der Gulik, Peter, Speijer, Dave·2015·Life
DOI 10.3390/life5010230PMC PMC4390850
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Abstract

The “RNA world” hypothesis is seen as one of the main contenders for a viable theory on the origin of life. Relatively small RNAs have catalytic power, RNA is everywhere in present-day life, the ribosome is seen as a ribozyme, and rRNA and tRNA are crucial for modern protein synthesis. However, this view is incomplete at best. The modern protein-RNA ribosome most probably is not a distorted form of a “pure RNA ribosome” evolution started out with. Though the oldest center of the ribosome seems “RNA only”, we cannot conclude from this that it ever functioned in an environment without amino acids and/or peptides. Very small RNAs (versatile and stable due to basepairing) and amino acids, as well as dipeptides, coevolved. Remember, it is the amino group of aminoacylated tRNA that attacks peptidyl-tRNA, destroying the bond between peptide and tRNA. This activity of the amino acid part of aminoacyl-tRNA illustrates the centrality of amino acids in life. With the rise of the “RNA world” view of early life, the pendulum seems to have swung too much towards the ribozymatic part of early biochemistry. The necessary presence and activity of amino acids and peptides is in need of highlighting. In this article, we try to bring the role of the peptide component of early life back into focus. We argue that an RNA world completely independent of amino acids never existed.

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  • The RNA world could not have been possible without amino acids playing a role.

    “Scientists van der Gulik and Speijer have made a compelling argument that the RNA world could not have been possible without amino acids playing a role in the same”

    From The Emergence of Life (2019) · cites this paper as van der Gulik and Speijer 2015

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References 77 · Cited by 55

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Authors
Van der Gulik, P., & Speijer, D.
Affiliations
  • Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, Science Park 123, 1098 SJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam (NL)
Corresponding author
Speijer, Dave
ORCID
Speijer, Dave
Venue
Life
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2015-01-19
Volume
5
Issue
1
Pages
230-246
ISSN
2075-1729 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/life5010230
PMC
PMC4390850
OpenAlex
W2017105936
Cited by
55
References
77
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 6
FWCI
0.46
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Life (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • Pure Amsterdam UMC (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
  • Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI), the national research institute for mathematics and computer science in the Netherlands (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
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, amino acids, peptides, ribosome evolution, ribozymes, aminoacyl-tRNA, dipeptides

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