Publications by authors named "Philipp Schwintek"
Article Synopsis
- - Templated ligation is an efficient method for replicating long RNA strands using a prebiotically available activation, specifically the 2',3'-cyclic phosphate, which forms during RNA breakdown.
- - Research shows that this ligation process can occur in simple conditions (low-salt, alkaline pH, and moderate temperatures) without needing additional catalysts, leading to a 50% increase in canonical linkages compared to past studies.
- - The reaction is sequence-specific with high fidelity rates, enabling the successful creation of longer RNA strands, which may indicate how ribozymes could have assembled on early Earth.
The emergence of functional oligonucleotides on early Earth required a molecular selection mechanism to screen for specific sequences with prebiotic functions. Cyclic processes such as daily temperature oscillations were ubiquitous in this environment and could trigger oligonucleotide phase separation. Here, we propose sequence selection based on phase separation cycles realized through sedimentation in a system subjected to the feeding of oligonucleotides.
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- * Researchers constructed lipid-stabilized foams under thermal gradients to enhance RNA accumulation and oligomerization, simulating early life conditions through alternating wet and dry states.
- * Myristic acid was identified as an effective stabilizer, and the resulting foams facilitated molecular localization and the formation of RNA aggregates, indicating a promising avenue for studying early molecular evolution.
Article Synopsis
- Non-equilibrium conditions were essential for the early assembly of informational polymers like RNA by providing a stable environment for their formation and enrichment.
- Gas bubbles in thermally varying water, similar to conditions on early Earth, facilitate the continuous accumulation of prebiotic molecules and enhance their chemical activities.
- These processes lead to key developments such as RNA phosphorylation, increased ribozyme activity, hydrogel formation, crystallization, and the creation of protective vesicle aggregates, all occurring in under 30 minutes, indicating a feasible pathway for the onset of molecular evolution.
Continuous enzyme-free replication of oligonucleotides is central for open-ended evolution experiments that mimic the origin of life. Here, we studied a reaction system, whereby two 24mer DNA templates cross-catalyzed each other's synthesis from four 12mer DNA fragments, two of which were activated with the condensing agent 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylamino-propyl)carbodiimide (EDC). We circumvented the problem of product inhibition by melting the stable product duplexes for their reuse as templates in the following ligation step.
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