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Noncanonical RNA Nucleosides as Molecular Fossils of an Early Earth—Generation by Prebiotic Methylations and Carbamoylations
Author(s) -
Schneider Christina,
Becker Sidney,
Okamura Hidenori,
Crisp Antony,
Amatov Tynchtyk,
Stadlmeier Michael,
Carell Thomas
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201801919
Subject(s) - abiogenesis , rna , nucleobase , prebiotic , earth (classical element) , rna world hypothesis , early earth , chemistry , extant taxon , nucleic acid , biology , dna , ribozyme , biochemistry , genetics , astrobiology , evolutionary biology , physics , mathematical physics , gene
The RNA‐world hypothesis assumes that life on Earth started with small RNA molecules that catalyzed their own formation. Vital to this hypothesis is the need for prebiotic routes towards RNA. Contemporary RNA, however, is not only constructed from the four canonical nucleobases (A, C, G, and U), it also contains many chemically modified (noncanonical) bases. A still open question is whether these noncanonical bases were formed in parallel to the canonical bases (chemical origin) or later, when life demanded higher functional diversity (biological origin). Here we show that isocyanates in combination with sodium nitrite establish methylating and carbamoylating reactivity compatible with early Earth conditions. These reactions lead to the formation of methylated and amino acid modified nucleosides that are still extant. Our data provide a plausible scenario for the chemical origin of certain noncanonical bases, which suggests that they are fossils of an early Earth.