Vlassov Alexander V, Kazakov Sergei A, Johnston Brian H, Landweber Laura F
SomaGenics, Inc., 2161 Delaware Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA.
J Mol Evol. 2005 Aug;61(2):264-73. doi: 10.1007/s00239-004-0362-7. Epub 2005 Jul 13.
The RNA world hypothesis refers to a hypothetical era prior to coded peptide synthesis, where RNA was the major structural, genetic, and catalytic agent. Though it is a widely accepted scenario, a number of vexing difficulties remain. In this review we focus on a missing link of the RNA world hypothesis-primitive miniribozymes, in particular ligases, and discuss the role of these molecules in the evolution of RNA size and complexity. We argue that prebiotic conditions associated with freezing, rather than "warm and wet" conditions, could have been of key importance in the early RNA world.
RNA世界假说指的是在编码肽合成之前的一个假设时代，在这个时代RNA是主要的结构、遗传和催化因子。尽管这是一个被广泛接受的设想，但仍存在一些棘手的难题。在这篇综述中，我们聚焦于RNA世界假说中一个缺失的环节——原始小核酶，尤其是连接酶，并讨论这些分子在RNA大小和复杂性进化中的作用。我们认为，与冷冻相关的益生元条件，而非“温暖湿润”的条件，可能在早期RNA世界中至关重要。
