Processive RNA polymerization and promoter recognition in an RNA World
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| Authors: | Cojocaru, R; Unrau, PJ |
| Year: | 2021 |
| Journal: | Science 371: 1225-+ Article Link (DOI) PubMed |
| Title: | Processive RNA polymerization and promoter recognition in an RNA World |
| Abstract: | Early life is thought to have required the self-replication of RNA by RNA replicases. However, how such replicases evolved and subsequently enabled gene expression remains largely unexplored. We engineered and selected a holopolymerase ribozyme that uses a sigma factor-like specificity primer to first recognize an RNA promoter sequence and then, in a second step, rearrange to a processive elongation form. Using its own sequence, the polymerase can also program itself to polymerize from certain RNA promoters and not others. This selective promoter-based polymerization could allow an RNA replicase ribozyme to define "self" from "nonself," an important development for the avoidance of replicative parasites. Moreover, the clamp-like mechanism of this polymerase could eventually enable strand invasion, a critical requirement for replication in the early evolution of life. |
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