Posted on 11/20/2009 10:57:11 AM PST by decimon
Appearing in the Nov. 27, 2009, issue (Vol. 284, No. 48) of JBC
A key question in the origin of biological molecules like RNA and DNA is how they first came together billions of years ago from simple precursors. Now, in a study appearing in this week's JBC, researchers in Italy have reconstructed one of the earliest evolutionary steps yet: generating long chains of RNA from individual subunits using nothing but warm water.
Many researchers believe that RNA was one of the first biological molecules present, before DNA and proteins; however, there has been little success in recreating the formation on RNA from simple "prebiotic" molecules that likely were present on primordial earth billions of years ago.
Now, Ernesto Di Mauro and colleagues found that ancient molecules called cyclic nucleotides can merge together in water and form polymers over 100 nucleotides long in water ranging from 40-90 °C similar to water temperatures on ancient Earth.
Cyclic nucleotides like cyclic-AMP are very similar to the nucleotides that make up individual pieces of DNA or RNA (A, T, G and C), except that they form an extra chemical bond and assume a ring-shaped structure. That extra bond makes cyclic nucleotides more reactive, though, and thus they were able to join together into long chains at a decent rate (about 200 hours to reach 100 nucleotides long).
This finding is exciting as cyclic nucleotides themselves can be easily formed from simple chemicals like formamide, thus making them plausible prebiotic compounds present during primordial times. Thus, this study may be revealing how the first bits of genetic information were created.
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From the JBC article: Generation of Long RNA Chains in Water" by Giovanna Costanzo, Samanta Pino, Fabiana Ciciriello and Ernesto Di Mauro
Article link: http://www.jbc.org/content/early/2009/10/02/jbc.M109.041905
Corresponding Authors: Ernesto Di Mauro, Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; Tel: +39.06.49912880, E-mail: Ernesto.dimauro@uniroma1.it
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization with over 11,900 members in the United States and internationally. Most members teach and conduct research at colleges and universities. Others conduct research in various government laboratories, nonprofit research institutions and industry. The Society's student members attend undergraduate or graduate institutions.
Founded in 1906, the Society is based in Bethesda, Maryland, on the campus of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. The Society's purpose is to advance the science of biochemistry and molecular biology through publication of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the Journal of Lipid Research, and Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, organization of scientific meetings, advocacy for funding of basic research and education, support of science education at all levels, and promoting the diversity of individuals entering the scientific work force.
For more information about ASBMB, see the Society's Web site at www.asbmb.org.
Time and tide ping.
A scientist did it, how can we trust those type of people. What has science ever given us? Come on, we haven’t had a scientific gain in over a century. /sarc
Well, the earth just got a whole lot older.
it seems frustrating trying to find out the truth when there’s propaganda pieces out there all the time from all sides:
Like that spider in the amber story today, or that Ida story a couple months ago.
Good luck.
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(It's also proof that although one can learn from one's mistakes, one is not required to do so)...
WTH? I guess I’d better do the mea culpa, but I swear, officer, she was dead by the time I got there...
Ping to an article of possible interest.
I am actually also interested in that Comcast is now a media force replacing (?) the news sources that I grew up with.
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-science/20091120/EU.SCI.Big.Bang.Machine/
Thats what interns and student assistants are for.
So? Call me an evolution skeptic. When I see evidence that a fruit fly “evolved” I might reconsider.
I didn’t think a sarcasm tag was necessary. Obviously I was wrong.
Given what's been revealed recently about the high priests of global warming, I've begun to wonder how much trust any group of people deserve who are as attached to the Big Government -- or Big Business -- teat as scientists are.
On a Crevo thread it’s often hard to tell.
Sorry.
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