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- Title
Prolinyl Nucleotides Drive Enzyme‐Free Genetic Copying of RNA.
- Authors
Welsch, Franziska; Kervio, Eric; Tremmel, Peter; Richert, Clemens
- Abstract
Proline is one of the proteinogenic amino acids. It is found in all kingdoms of life. It also has remarkable activity as an organocatalyst and is of structural importance in many folded polypeptides. Here, we show that prolinyl nucleotides with a phosphoramidate linkage are active building blocks in enzyme‐ and ribozyme‐free copying of RNA in the presence of monosubstituted imidazoles as organocatalysts. Both dinucleotides and mononucleotides are incorporated at the terminus of RNA primers in aqueous buffer, as instructed by the template sequence, in up to eight consecutive extension steps. Our results show that condensation products of amino acids and ribonucleotides can act like nucleoside triphosphates in media devoid of enzymes or ribozymes. Prolinyl nucleotides are metastable building blocks, readily activated by catalysts, helping to explain why the combination of α‐amino acids and nucleic acids was selected in molecular evolution.
- Subjects
NUCLEOTIDES; RNA; NUCLEIC acids; CATALYTIC RNA; MOLECULAR evolution; RIBONUCLEOSIDE diphosphate reductase
- Publication
Angewandte Chemie, 2023, Vol 135, Issue 41, p1
- ISSN
0044-8249
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/ange.202307591