{"title":"Circular at the very beginning: on the initial genomes in the RNA world.","authors":"Yufan Luo, Minglun Liang, Chunwu Yu, Wentao Ma","doi":"10.1080/15476286.2024.2380130","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>It is likely that an RNA world existed in early life, when RNA played both the roles of the genome and functional molecules, thereby undergoing Darwinian evolution. However, even with only one type of polymer, it seems quite necessary to introduce a labour division concerning these two roles because folding is required for functional molecules (ribozymes) but unfavourable for the genome (as a template in replication). Notably, while ribozymes tend to have adopted a linear form for folding without constraints, a circular form, which might have been topologically hindered in folding, seems more suitable for an RNA template. Another advantage of involving a circular genome could have been to resist RNA's end-degradation. Here, we explore the scenario of a circular RNA genome plus linear ribozyme(s) at the precellular stage of the RNA world through computer modelling. The results suggest that a one-gene scene could have been 'maintained', albeit with rather a low efficiency for the circular genome to produce the ribozyme, which required precise chain-break or chain-synthesis. This strict requirement may have been relieved by introducing a 'noncoding' sequence into the genome, which had the potential to derive a second gene through mutation. A two-gene scene may have 'run well' with the two corresponding ribozymes promoting the replication of the circular genome from different respects. Circular genomes with more genes might have arisen later in RNA-based protocells. Therefore, circular genomes, which are common in the modern living world, may have had their 'root' at the very beginning of life.</p>","PeriodicalId":21351,"journal":{"name":"RNA Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11259081/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"RNA Biology","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15476286.2024.2380130","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/7/17 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
It is likely that an RNA world existed in early life, when RNA played both the roles of the genome and functional molecules, thereby undergoing Darwinian evolution. However, even with only one type of polymer, it seems quite necessary to introduce a labour division concerning these two roles because folding is required for functional molecules (ribozymes) but unfavourable for the genome (as a template in replication). Notably, while ribozymes tend to have adopted a linear form for folding without constraints, a circular form, which might have been topologically hindered in folding, seems more suitable for an RNA template. Another advantage of involving a circular genome could have been to resist RNA's end-degradation. Here, we explore the scenario of a circular RNA genome plus linear ribozyme(s) at the precellular stage of the RNA world through computer modelling. The results suggest that a one-gene scene could have been 'maintained', albeit with rather a low efficiency for the circular genome to produce the ribozyme, which required precise chain-break or chain-synthesis. This strict requirement may have been relieved by introducing a 'noncoding' sequence into the genome, which had the potential to derive a second gene through mutation. A two-gene scene may have 'run well' with the two corresponding ribozymes promoting the replication of the circular genome from different respects. Circular genomes with more genes might have arisen later in RNA-based protocells. Therefore, circular genomes, which are common in the modern living world, may have had their 'root' at the very beginning of life.
期刊介绍:
RNA has played a central role in all cellular processes since the beginning of life: decoding the genome, regulating gene expression, mediating molecular interactions, catalyzing chemical reactions. RNA Biology, as a leading journal in the field, provides a platform for presenting and discussing cutting-edge RNA research.
RNA Biology brings together a multidisciplinary community of scientists working in the areas of:
Transcription and splicing
Post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression
Non-coding RNAs
RNA localization
Translation and catalysis by RNA
Structural biology
Bioinformatics
RNA in disease and therapy