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PubMed1985

Chromatographic separation as selection process for prebiotic evolution and the origin of the genetic code.

A model for the evolution of a translation apparatus has been suggested where oligonucleotides in a hairpin conformation act as primordial adapters. Specifically activated amino acids are assumed to be attached to these hairpin molecules. For the specific activation, a chromatographic separation of, e.g. ala and CMP from gly and GMP can be accomplished on silica (e.g. of volcanic origin) with aqueous salt solutions. Other adsorbents like clays (kaolin, bentonite, montmorillonite), different silicates (florisil, magnesium trisilicate, calcium silicate, talc), hydroxyapatite, barium sulfate, calcium carbonate, calcium fluoride and titanoxide have been examined as model systems for the separation of nucleotides, nucleosides and amino acids on mineral surfaces. The possible role of chromatographic separation of amino acids for the formation of proteinoids, composed of selected amino acids, is also considered.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2002

Phenylalanine-binding RNAs and genetic code evolution.

We isolated RNAs by selection-amplification, selecting for affinity to Phe-Sepharose and elution with free l-phenylalanine. Constant sequences did not contain Phe condons or anticodons, to avoid any possible confounding influence on initially randomized sequences. We examined the eight most frequent Phe-binding RNAs for inclusion of coding triplets. Binding sites were defined by nucleotide conservation, protection, and interference data. Together these RNAs comprise 70% of the 105 sequenced RNAs. The KD for the strongest sites is approximately 50 microM free amino acid, with strong stereoselectivity. One site strongly distinguishes free Phe from Trp and Tyr, a specificity not observed previously. In these eight Phe-binding RNAs, Phe codons are not significantly associated with Phe binding sites. However, among 21 characterized RNAs binding Phe, Tyr, Arg, and Ile, containing 1342 total nucleotides, codons are 2.7-fold more frequent within binding sites than in surrounding sequences in the same molecules. If triplets were not specifically related to binding sites, the probability of this distribution would be 4.8 x 10(-11). Therefore, triplet concentration within amino acid binding sites taken together is highly likely. In binding sites for Arg, Tyr, and Ile cognate codons are overrepresented. Thus Arg, Tyr, and Ile may be amino acids whose codons were assigned during an era of direct RNA-amino acid affinity. In contrast, Phe codons arguably were assigned by another criterion, perhaps during later code evolution.

Base Sequence↗