Early Chemical Evolution of Nucleic Acids: A Theoretical Model
- 15 April 1977
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 196 (4287), 311-313
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.583625
Abstract
Recent experimental work suggests a possible cyclical pathway for early prebiotic oligonucleotide formation that involves (i) dry-state (nontemplate) synthesis of random copolymers with mixed 2',5' and 3',5' bonds, (ii) passage of these oligomers into solution at low temperatures, and (iii) a preferential hydrolysis of the 2',5' bond in any short helices that have formed. This early system could have selected for complementary sequences that were largely 3',5'-linked, but may not have selected efficiently for a single enantiomer of ribose.Keywords
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