Department of Structural Biology of Prokaryotic Organisms, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-074 Poznan, Poland.
Biomolecules. 2023 Apr 30;13(5):782. doi: 10.3390/biom13050782.
Most naturally occurring nucleotides and nucleosides are -glycosyl derivatives of β-d-ribose. These -ribosides are involved in most metabolic processes that occur in cells. They are essential components of nucleic acids, forming the basis for genetic information storage and flow. Moreover, these compounds are involved in numerous catalytic processes, including chemical energy production and storage, in which they serve as cofactors or coribozymes. From a chemical point of view, the overall structure of nucleotides and nucleosides is very similar and simple. However, their unique chemical and structural features render these compounds versatile building blocks that are crucial for life processes in all known organisms. Notably, the universal function of these compounds in encoding genetic information and cellular catalysis strongly suggests their essential role in the origins of life. In this review, we summarize major issues related to the role of -ribosides in biological systems, especially in the context of the origin of life and its further evolution, through the RNA-based World(s), toward the life we observe today. We also discuss possible reasons why life has arisen from derivatives of β-d-ribofuranose instead of compounds based on other sugar moieties.
大多数天然存在的核苷酸和核苷都是β-d-核糖的糖苷衍生物。这些β-核糖苷参与了细胞中发生的大多数代谢过程。它们是核酸的必需组成部分，为遗传信息的存储和流动奠定了基础。此外，这些化合物还参与了许多催化过程，包括化学能量的产生和储存，它们在这些过程中作为辅助因子或核酶发挥作用。从化学角度来看，核苷酸和核苷的整体结构非常相似且简单。然而，它们独特的化学和结构特征使这些化合物成为多功能的构建块，对所有已知生物的生命过程至关重要。值得注意的是，这些化合物在编码遗传信息和细胞催化中的普遍功能强烈表明它们在生命起源中的重要作用。在本文中，我们通过 RNA 世界（s）综述了β-d-核糖苷在生物系统中的主要作用，特别是在生命起源及其进一步进化方面的作用，以及生命是如何从β-d-核糖的衍生物中产生的，而不是基于其他糖部分的化合物。
