FIBER (Frontier Institute for Biomolecular Engineering Research), Konan University, 7-1-20 Minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
FIBER (Frontier Institute for Biomolecular Engineering Research), Konan University, 7-1-20 Minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan; FIRST (Graduate School of Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology), Konan University, 7-1-20 Minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
Biophys Chem. 2023 Jan;292:106914. doi: 10.1016/j.bpc.2022.106914. Epub 2022 Oct 21.
A representative role of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) is in the storage of genetic information. In contrast, RNAs act as ribozymes that catalyze various biochemical reactions. The "RNA world" hypothesis suggests that the origin of life was RNA because a ribozyme that shows RNA replication activity has been identified. However, prebiotic conditions in the RNA world remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of high pressure and temperature on RNA replication using an RNA polymerase ribozyme tC9Y. We found that pressure accelerated the RNA replication activity of tC9Y ribozyme at higher temperatures than physiological conditions. Furthermore, molecular crowding by concentrated polyethylene glycol 200 (average molecular weight 200) synergistically enhanced the replication activity at higher pressure and temperature because the negative effect of a volumetric contribution of hydration on the tC9Y ribozyme activity decreased under crowding conditions. As a comparison, proteinaceous RNA polymerase that exists in the modern era did not show accelerated activity under high pressure and temperature. Thus, these results imply that the prebiotic conditions for the RNA world were at high pressure and temperatures under crowding conditions.
核酸（DNA 和 RNA）的一个代表性作用是储存遗传信息。相比之下，RNA 作为核酶发挥作用，催化各种生化反应。“RNA 世界”假说认为生命起源于 RNA，因为已经鉴定出具有 RNA 复制活性的核酶。然而，RNA 世界的原始条件仍然未知。在这项研究中，我们使用 RNA 聚合酶核酶 tC9Y 研究了高压和高温对 RNA 复制的影响。我们发现，与生理条件相比，压力会加速 tC9Y 核酶在较高温度下的 RNA 复制活性。此外，通过浓缩聚乙二醇 200（平均分子量 200）进行分子拥挤会协同增强在较高压力和温度下的复制活性，因为在拥挤条件下，水合的体积贡献对 tC9Y 核酶活性的负面影响降低。相比之下，存在于现代的蛋白质 RNA 聚合酶在高压和高温下没有表现出加速活性。因此，这些结果表明，原始 RNA 世界的条件是在拥挤条件下的高压和高温。
