RNA world
RNA has been put forward as the chemical candidate for the transition from primordial soup to self-replicating cells.
RNA can:
- be transcribed into DNA
- self-replicate
- act as an enzyme (ribozyme) – peptide-bond formation is catalyzed solely by RNA
"The first stage of evolution proceeds, then, by RNA molecules performing the catalytic activities necessary to assemble themselves from a nucleotide soup. The RNA molecules evolve in self-replicating patterns, using recombination and mutation to explore new niches. ... they then develop an entire range of enzymic activities. At the next stage, RNA molecules began to synthesize proteins, first by developing RNA adaptor molecules that can bind activated amino acids and then by arranging them according to an RNA template using other RNA molecules such as the RNA core of the ribosome. This process would make the first proteins, which would simply be better enzymes than their RNA counterparts. ... These protein enzymes are ... built up of mini-elements of structure.Finally, DNA appeared on the scene, the ultimate holder of information copied from the genetic RNA molecules by reverse transcription. ... RNA is then relegated to the intermediate role it has today—no longer the center of the stage, displaced by DNA and the more effective protein enzymes."
Walter Gilbert, "The RNA world," p 618 v 319, Nature, 1986.
More links: RNA World Website
RNA can:
- be transcribed into DNA
- self-replicate
- act as an enzyme (ribozyme) – peptide-bond formation is catalyzed solely by RNA
"The first stage of evolution proceeds, then, by RNA molecules performing the catalytic activities necessary to assemble themselves from a nucleotide soup. The RNA molecules evolve in self-replicating patterns, using recombination and mutation to explore new niches. ... they then develop an entire range of enzymic activities. At the next stage, RNA molecules began to synthesize proteins, first by developing RNA adaptor molecules that can bind activated amino acids and then by arranging them according to an RNA template using other RNA molecules such as the RNA core of the ribosome. This process would make the first proteins, which would simply be better enzymes than their RNA counterparts. ... These protein enzymes are ... built up of mini-elements of structure.Finally, DNA appeared on the scene, the ultimate holder of information copied from the genetic RNA molecules by reverse transcription. ... RNA is then relegated to the intermediate role it has today—no longer the center of the stage, displaced by DNA and the more effective protein enzymes."
Walter Gilbert, "The RNA world," p 618 v 319, Nature, 1986.
More links: RNA World Website
The comment section will be used as a guide or glossary, obviating some of the need to move around the site.
RNA is ribonucleic acid and DNA is deoxyribonucleic acid. They are both informational molecules.
An amino acid is an organic compound containing an amino group (NH2), a carboxylic acid group (COOH), and any of various side groups, especially any of the 20 compounds that have the basic formula NH2CHRCOOH, and that link together by peptide bonds to form proteins or that function as chemical messengers and as intermediates in metabolism.
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/amino%20acid