2012 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Synthetic approaches to investigate artificial living systems by RNA self-replicating ribozymes
| Project/Area Number |
23651203
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Research Field |
System genome science
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| Research Institution | Kyoto University |
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Principal Investigator |
SAITO Hirohide 京都大学, 白眉センター, 准教授 (20423014)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
NOMURA Shin-ichiro 東北大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究員院), 准教授 (50372446)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2011 – 2012
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| Keywords | RNA / 人工細胞モデル / 生命の起源 |
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| Research Abstract |
One of the main goals in science is to solve the problem of origin of life: How evolvable living systems have emerged from chemical molecules such as nucleic acids? RNA can function both as an informational molecule and as a catalyst in living organisms. This duality is the premise of the RNA world hypothesis in the origin of life theory. Specially, it is believed that RNA ribozyme that facilitates self-replicating reaction is one of the most essential molecules in primitive life. To verify whether RNA has the potential for self-replication, we constructed a new RNA self-assembling ribozyme that could have conducted an evolvable RNA self-replication reaction. The artificially designed, in vitro selected ligase ribozyme was employed as a prototype for a self-assembling ribozyme. We propose that our system implies the significance of RNA tertiary motifs in the early RNA molecular evolution of the RNA world. Furthermore, we designed the synthetic RNA sequence for making higher-order membrane like structure. Giant membrane structure might be observed by using fluorescence microscopy. Their forming condition should be investigated and the result should be reported as a research article. These results may provide a possible RNA world in which both replicator and the compartment could be made by RNA. This concept might provide an alternative way to investigate the problem of the origin of life.
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