2011 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
In Vitro Molecular Evolution of RNA Entirely Consisting of Prebiotic Materials on the Simulated Primitive Earth
| Project/Area Number |
21200004
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research a proposed research project)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Evolutionary biology
Bioinformatics/Life informatics
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| Research Institution | Hiroshima Shudo University (2010-2011)
Osaka Prefecture University (2009) |
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Principal Investigator |
KAWAMURA Kunio 広島修道大学, 人間環境学部, 教授 (50204772)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2009 – 2011
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| Keywords | 生命起源 / 人工生命システム / 化学進化 |
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| Research Abstract |
Discovery of ribozyme suggested the RNA world hypothesis, where RNA molecules played a central role in the primitive life. In addition, in vitro selection technique for RNA aptamers and ribozymes supported the possibility that a number of functional RNA molecules can be created under the primitive earth conditions. However, the in vitro selection technique requires artificial molecular biological tools and equipment. Thus, the possibility that RNA molecules could have been created through an evolutionary system like the in vitro selection technique must be elucidated using entirely primitive materials whether such evolutionary system could have be under the primitive earth condition. Our final goal of the present study is to make an evolutionary system, which is entirely constructed from only primitive materials and determine the pathway of chemical evolution of an RNA-based life-like system from a number of RNA molecules. The evolution of an RNA-based life-like system from RNA molecul
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es consists of the following 4 steps; (1) spontaneous formation of RNA under the primitive earth, (2) replication of the RNA molecules, (3) amplification of the RNA molecules, (4) natural selection of the RNA molecules. In the present study, we attempted to find efficient pathways and conditions for each step to combine each step as a Darwinian evolutionary process. We confirmed that random sequences of RNA molecules consisting of 4 bases can be formed by clay mineral catalytic reaction regarding (1). It was found regarding (4) step that natural selection of RNA molecules could have occurred at high temperatures from random mixed sequences of RNA. We also attempted to find efficient pathways and conditions for step (3) and (4) in the absence of template DNA and enzymes. Although we have not yet found an efficient pathway for replication of RNA under the primitive earth conditions at the present time, we observed an enhancement of oligonucleotide formation directed by oligonucleotide template with an additive. Less
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