Systems Biophysics and Center for NanoScience (CeNS), Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539, Munich, Germany.
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Str. 4a, 44227, Dortmund, Germany.
Nat Commun. 2023 Mar 17;14(1):1495. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37206-4.
Enzyme-catalyzed replication of nucleic acid sequences is a prerequisite for the survival and evolution of biological entities. Before the advent of protein synthesis, genetic information was most likely stored in and replicated by RNA. However, experimental systems for sustained RNA-dependent RNA-replication are difficult to realise, in part due to the high thermodynamic stability of duplex products and the low chemical stability of catalytic RNAs. Using a derivative of a group I intron as a model for an RNA replicase, we show that heated air-water interfaces that are exposed to a plausible CO-rich atmosphere enable sense and antisense RNA replication as well as template-dependent synthesis and catalysis of a functional ribozyme in a one-pot reaction. Both reactions are driven by autonomous oscillations in salt concentrations and pH, resulting from precipitation of acidified dew droplets, which transiently destabilise RNA duplexes. Our results suggest that an abundant Hadean microenvironment may have promoted both replication and synthesis of functional RNAs.
酶促核酸序列复制是生物实体生存和进化的前提。在蛋白质合成出现之前，遗传信息很可能存储在 RNA 中并由其复制。然而，持续的 RNA 依赖性 RNA 复制实验系统很难实现，部分原因是双链产物的热力学稳定性高，以及催化 RNA 的化学稳定性低。本文使用 I 组内含子的衍生物作为 RNA 复制酶的模型，展示了暴露于富含 CO 的大气中的加热空气-水界面能够实现正、反义 RNA 复制，以及在一锅反应中模板依赖性合成和催化功能性核酶。这两种反应都是由盐浓度和 pH 的自主振荡驱动的，这是由于酸化露水的沉淀导致 RNA 双链暂时不稳定。我们的结果表明，丰富的 Hadean 微环境可能促进了功能性 RNA 的复制和合成。
