Further studies of urea-catalyzed phosphorylation reactions

Österberg, Ragnar; Orgel, Leslie E.; Lohrmann, R.

doi:10.1007/bf01654004

Cited by 75 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Although nucleoside 5 0 -triphosphates are not formed readily, the synthesis of nucleoside 5 0 -tetraphosphates from nucleotides and inorganic trimetaphosphate provides a reasonably plausible prebiotic route to activated nucleotides (Lohrmann 1975). Other more or less plausible prebiotic syntheses of nucleoside 5 0 -polyphosphates from nucleotides have also been reported (Handschuh et al 1973;Osterberg et al 1973;Reimann and Zubay 1999). Less clear, however, is how the first phosphate would have been mobilized to convert the nucleosides to 5 0 -nucleotides.…”

Section: Abiotic Synthesis Of Polynucleotidesmentioning

confidence: 98%

The Origins of the RNA World

Robertson¹,

Joyce²

2010

Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology

445

326

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SUMMARYThe general notion of an "RNA World" is that, in the early development of life on the Earth, genetic continuity was assured by the replication of RNA and genetically encoded proteins were not involved as catalysts. There is now strong evidence indicating that an RNA World did indeed exist before DNA-and protein-based life. However, arguments regarding whether life on Earth began with RNA are more tenuous. It might be imagined that all of the components of RNA were available in some prebiotic pool, and that these components assembled into replicating, evolving polynucleotides without the prior existence of any evolved macromolecules. A thorough consideration of this "RNA-first" view of the origin of life must reconcile concerns regarding the intractable mixtures that are obtained in experiments designed to simulate the chemistry of the primitive Earth. Perhaps these concerns will eventually be resolved, and recent experimental findings provide some reason for optimism. However, the problem of the origin of the RNA World is far from being solved, and it is fruitful to consider the alternative possibility that RNA was preceded by some other replicating, evolving molecule, just as DNA and proteins were preceded by RNA.

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Section: Abiotic Synthesis Of Polynucleotidesmentioning

confidence: 98%

The Origins of the RNA World

Robertson¹,

Joyce²

2010

Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology

445

326

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“…In the past, we have observed that symmetric pyrophosphates of nucleosides form readily under a variety of conditions (Handschuh et al, 1973;Osterberg et al, 1973). Although these pyrophosphates are high-energy compounds, they are unreactive in aqueous solution.…”

Section: Reaction Of Appa With Etbylenediaminementioning

confidence: 98%

Formation of nucleoside 5′-phosphoramidates under potentially prebiological conditions

Lohrmann

1977

J Mol Evol

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Adenosine 5'-phosphoramidates form when solutions containing adenosine 5'-polyphosphates pnA (n greater than or equal to 3) or P1, P2-diadenosine 5'-diphosphate and amines are allowed to dry out. Mg ions catalyze these reactions. We have studied systems containing ammonia, imidazole, glycine, ethylenediamine and histamine. The yields of adenosine 5'-phosphoramidates range from 10-50% based on the nucleotide. The prebiotic significance of the reactions is discussed.

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“…When uridine, for example, is heated with excess urea and ammonium phosphate at 100 • C, about 70% of the input is converted to a complex mixture of phosphorylated products ( Figure 5). Attempts to direct this reaction to the synthesis of a particular phosphate or polyphosphate, for example, a nucleoside-5 -phosphate or 5 -triphosphate, have met with some success (Handschuh et al, 1973;Osterberg et al, 1973;Reimann & Zubay, 1999). These solid-state reactions have been studied in considerable detail, but the reaction mechanism is not known.…”

Section: Phosphorylation Of Nucleosidesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prebiotic Chemistry and the Origin of the RNA World

Orgel

2004

Critical Reviews in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

909

248

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The demonstration that ribosomal peptide synthesis is a ribozyme-catalyzed reaction makes it almost certain that there was once an RNA World. The central problem for origin-of-life studies, therefore, is to understand how a protein-free RNA World became established on the primitive Earth. We first review the literature on the prebiotic synthesis of the nucleotides, the nonenzymatic synthesis and copying of polynucleotides, and the selection of ribozyme catalysts of a kind that might have facilitated polynucleotide replication. This leads to a brief outline of the Molecular Biologists' Dream, an optimistic scenario for the origin of the RNA World. In the second part of the review we point out the many unresolved problems presented by the Molecular Biologists' Dream. This in turn leads to a discussion of genetic systems simpler than RNA that might have "invented" RNA. Finally, we review studies of prebiotic membrane formation.

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Further studies of urea-catalyzed phosphorylation reactions

Cited by 75 publications

References 6 publications

The Origins of the RNA World

The Origins of the RNA World

Formation of nucleoside 5′-phosphoramidates under potentially prebiological conditions

Prebiotic Chemistry and the Origin of the RNA World

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