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Origins of Life and the RNA World: Evolution of RNA-Replicase Recognition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2017

Laura Guogas ,
James Hogle  and
Lee Gehrke
Laura Guogas
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, and Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
James Hogle
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, and Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
Lee Gehrke
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, and Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA

Abstract

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Central to understanding the origin of life is the elucidation of the first replication mechanism. The RNA World hypothesis suggests that the first self-replicating molecules were RNAs and that DNA later superceded RNA as the genetic material. RNA viruses were not subjected to the same evolutionary pressures as cellular organisms; consequently, they likely possess remnants of earlier replication strategies. Our laboratory investigates how members of the RNA virus family Bromoviridae can have structurally distinct 3' end tags yet are specifically recognized by conserved replication enzymes. This work addresses the idea that 3' tRNA tails were functionally replaced in some viruses by an RNA-protein complex. These viruses may serve as a timeline for the transition from the RNA world to DNA and protein based life.

Type
Origins and Evolution of Life
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 213: Bioastronomy 2002: Life Among the stars , 2004 , pp. 321 - 324
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2004 

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