Unified prebiotically plausible synthesis of pyrimidine and purine RNA ribonucleotides

Becker, Sidney ; Feldmann, Jonas ; Wiedemann, Stefan; Okamura, Hidenori ; Schneider, Christina ; Iwan, Katharina ; Crisp, Antony ; Rossa, Martin; Amatov, Tynchtyk ; Carell, Thomas (4. October 2019): Unified prebiotically plausible synthesis of pyrimidine and purine RNA ribonucleotides. In: Science, Vol. 366, No. 6461: pp. 76-82

Abstract

Theories about the origin of life require chemical pathways that allow formation of life’s key building blocks under prebiotically plausible conditions. Complex molecules like RNA must have originated from small molecules whose reactivity was guided by physico-chemical processes. RNA is constructed from purine and pyrimidine nucleosides, both of which are required for accurate information transfer. This is the prerequisite for Darwinian evolution. While separate pathways to purines and pyrimidines have been reported, their concurrent syntheses remain a challenge. We report the synthesis of the pyrimidine nucleosides from small molecules and ribose, driven solely by wet-dry cycles. In the presence of phosphate-containing minerals, 5’-mono- and di-phosphates also form selectively in one-pot. The pathway is compatible with purine synthesis, allowing the concurrent formation of all Watson-Crick bases.

• Item Type: Journal article
• EU Funded Grant Agreement Number: 741912
• EU Projects: Horizon 2020 > ERC Grants > ERC Advanced Grant > ERC Grant 741912: EPiR - The Chemical Basis of RNA Epigenetics
• Form of publication: Postprint
• Faculties: Chemistry and Pharmacy > Department of Chemistry
• Research Centers: Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich (CIPSM)
• Subjects: 500 Science > 540 Chemistry
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• Language: English

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