Acid‐Catalyzed RNA‐Oligomerization from 3', 5'‐cGMP. Issue 70 (23rd November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wunnava, Sreekar; Dirscherl, Christina F.; Výravský, Jakub; Kovařík, Aleš; Matyášek, Roman; Šponer, Jiří; Braun, Dieter; Šponer, Judit E.
• Is Part Of: Chemistry. Volume 27:Issue 70(2021)
• Page Start: 17581
• Page End: 17585
• Publication Date: 2021-11-23
• Subjects: cGMP -- nonenzymatic polymerization -- nucleotides -- prebiotic chemistry; Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/chem.202103672
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0947-6539

Abstract

Abstract: The assembly of ancient informational polymers from nucleotide precursors is the central challenge of life's origin on our planet. Among the possible solutions, dry polymerization of 3', 5'‐cyclic guanosine monophosphate (3', 5'‐cGMP) has been proposed as a candidate to create oligonucleotides of 15–20 units in length. However, the reported sensitivity of the reaction to the presence of cations raised questions of whether this chemistry could be relevant in a geological context. The experiments in this study show that the presence of cations is not restrictive as long as the reaction is conducted in an acidic environment, in contrast to previous reports that suggested optimal conditions at pH 9. Abstract : Shedding new light on an old mechanism : Previous studies have suggested that the polymerization of 3', 5' cyclic guanosine monophosphate proceeds according to a base‐catalyzed mechanism. In contrast, our work supports an acid‐catalyzed reaction route that benefits from the unique ability of the free‐acid form monomers to crystallize, and thus form highly ordered supramolecular architectures. The reaction could serve as a source of the most ancient short oligonucleotide sequences on our planet.