A Peptide-Nucleic Acid Replicator Origin for Life

Bernard M A G Piette; Jonathan G Heddle

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2020.01.001

A Peptide-Nucleic Acid Replicator Origin for Life

Trends Ecol Evol. 2020 May;35(5):397-406. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.01.001. Epub 2020 Mar 11.

Authors

Bernard M A G Piette¹, Jonathan G Heddle²

Affiliations

¹ Department for Mathematical Sciences, Durham University, Durham, UK.
² Bionanoscience and Biochemistry Laboratory, Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. Electronic address: jonathan.heddle@uj.edu.pl.

PMID: 32294421
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.01.001

Abstract

Evolution requires self-replication. But, what was the very first self-replicator directly ancestral to all life? The currently favoured RNA World theory assigns this role to RNA alone but suffers from a number of seemingly intractable problems. Instead, we suggest that the self-replicator consisted of both peptides and nucleic acid strands. Such a nucleopeptide replicator is more feasible both in the light of the replication machinery currently found in cells and the complexity of the evolutionary path required to reach them. Recent theoretical and mathematical work supports this idea and provide a blueprint for future investigations.

Keywords: RNA world; abiogenesis; early earth; hypercycle; stereochemical theory.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Origin of Life*
Peptides / genetics
RNA* / genetics

Substances

Peptides
RNA