1
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Reußwig SG, Richert C. Ribosome-Free Translation up to Pentapeptides via Template Walk on RNA Sequences. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202410317. [PMID: 38967604 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202410317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2024] [Revised: 07/02/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
The origin of translation is one of the most difficult problems of molecular evolution. Identifying molecular systems that translate an RNA sequence into a peptide sequence in the absence of ribosomes and enzymes is a challenge. Recently, single-nucleotide translation via coupling of 5' phosphoramidate-linked amino acids to 2'/3'-aminoacyl transfer-NMPs, as directed by the sequence of an RNA template, was demonstrated for three of the four canonical nucleotides. How single-nucleotide translation could be expanded to include all four bases and to produce longer peptides without translocation along the template strand remained unclear. Using transfer strands of increasing length containing any of the four bases that interrogate adjacent positions along the template, we now show that pentapeptides can be produced in coupling reactions and subsequent hydrolytic release in situ. With 2'/3'-aminoacylated mono-, di-, tri- and tetranucleotides we thus show how efficient translation can be without biomacromolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina G Reußwig
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Clemens Richert
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
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2
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Aljabali AAA, Bashatwah RM, Obeid MA, Mishra V, Mishra Y, Serrano-Aroca Á, Lundstrom K, Tambuwala MM. Current state of, prospects for, and obstacles to mRNA vaccine development. Drug Discov Today 2023; 28:103458. [PMID: 36427779 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2022.103458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Given their superior efficacy, rapid engineering, low-cost manufacturing, and safe delivery prospects, mRNA vaccines offer an intriguing alternative to conventional vaccination technologies. Several mRNA vaccine platforms targeting infectious diseases and various types of cancer have exhibited beneficial results both in vivo and in vitro. Issues related to mRNA stability and immunogenicity have been addressed. Current mRNA vaccines can generate robust immune responses, without being constrained by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) haplotype of the recipient. Given that mRNA vaccinations are the only transient genetic information carriers, they are also safe. In this review, we provide an update and overview on mRNA vaccines, including their current state, and the problems that have prevented them from being used in more general therapeutic ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alaa A A Aljabali
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan.
| | - Rasha M Bashatwah
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan
| | - Mohammad A Obeid
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan.
| | - Vijay Mishra
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144411, Punjab, India
| | - Yachana Mishra
- Department of Zoology, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144411, Punjab, India
| | - Ángel Serrano-Aroca
- Biomaterials & Bioengineering Lab, Centro de Investigación Traslacional San Alberto Magno, Universidad Católica de Valencia, San Vicente Mártir, Valencia 46001, Spain
| | | | - Murtaza M Tambuwala
- Lincoln Medical School, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool Campus, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK.
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3
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Forster AC. Revisiting the Extinction of the RNA World. Biochemistry 2022; 61:749-751. [PMID: 35389627 PMCID: PMC9069686 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
![]()
The ribozyme world
is thought to have evolved the burdensome complexity
of peptide and protein synthesis because the 20 amino acid side chains
are catalytically superior. Instead, I propose that the Achilles heel
of the RNA world that led to the extinction of riboorganisms was RNA’s
polyanionic charges that could not be covalently neutralized stably
by phosphotriester formation. These charges prevented development
of hydrophobic cores essential for integration into membranes and
many enzymatic reactions. In contrast, the phosphotriester modification
of DNA is stable. So, the fact that the charge was never removed in
DNA evolution gives further credence to proteins coming before DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony C Forster
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Husargatan 3, Box 596, Uppsala 75124, Sweden
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4
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Jimenez J. Protein-coding tRNA sequences? Gene 2022; 814:146154. [PMID: 34995735 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2021.146154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are ancient molecules likely predating the translation machinery. These extremely conserved RNA molecules transfer amino acids to the ribosome for the synthesis of proteins encoded by mRNAs, but canonical tRNAs are not protein-coding RNAs. Surprisely, when virtually translated, I observed that peptides derived from tRNA sequences match thousands of protein entries in databases. The analysis of these sequences indicates that the vast majority of these tRNA-derived proteins are annotated as small hypothetical peptides, likely arising from sequencing, prediction and/or annotation errors. But life often surpasses fiction. Importantly, tRNA-encoded amino acid domains were also found embedded in large functional proteins. Phylogenetic analysis of representative tRNA-derived protein domains may provide new insights into the origin, plasticity, and evolution of protein-coding genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Jimenez
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Universidad Pablo de Olavide/Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Carretera de Utrera, km1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
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5
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Doppleb O, Schwarz RJ, Landa M, Richert C. Efficient Oligomerization of Aromatic Amino Acids Induced by Gaps in Four-Helix Bundles of DNA or RNA. Chemistry 2022; 28:e202104104. [PMID: 35050538 PMCID: PMC9303611 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202104104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The formation of peptides from amino acids is one of the processes associated with life. Because of the dominant role of translation in extant biology, peptide-forming processes that are RNA induced are of particular interest. We have previously reported the formation of phosphoramidate-linked peptido RNAs as the products of spontaneous condensation reactions between ribonucleotides and free amino acids in aqueous solution. We now asked whether four-helix bundle (4HB) DNA or RNA folding motifs with a single- or double-nucleotide gap next to a 5'-phosphate can act as reaction sites for phosphoramidate formation. For glycine, this was found to be the case, whereas phenylalanine and tryptophan showed accelerated formation of peptides without a covalent link to the nucleic acid. Free peptides with up to 11 tryptophan or phenylalanine residues were found in precipitates forming in the presence of gap-containing DNA or RNA 4HBs. Control experiments using motifs with just a nick or primer alone did not have the same effect. Because folded structures with a gap in a double helix are likely products of hybridization of strands formed in statistically controlled oligomerization reactions, our results are interesting in the context of prebiotic scenarios. Independent of a putative role in evolution, our findings suggest that for some aromatic amino acids an RNA-induced pathway for oligomerization exists that does not have a discernable link to translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Doppleb
- Institut für Organische ChemieUniversität StuttgartPfaffenwaldring 5570569StuttgartGermany
| | - Rainer Joachim Schwarz
- Institut für Organische ChemieUniversität StuttgartPfaffenwaldring 5570569StuttgartGermany
| | - Maria Landa
- Institut für Organische ChemieUniversität StuttgartPfaffenwaldring 5570569StuttgartGermany
| | - Clemens Richert
- Institut für Organische ChemieUniversität StuttgartPfaffenwaldring 5570569StuttgartGermany
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6
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Jash B, Tremmel P, Jovanovic D, Richert C. Single nucleotide translation without ribosomes. Nat Chem 2021; 13:751-757. [PMID: 34312504 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-021-00749-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The translation of messenger RNA sequences into polypeptide sequences according to the genetic code is central to life. How this process, which relies on the ribosomal machinery, arose from much simpler precursors is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that single nucleotides charged with an amino acid couple with amino acids linked to the 5'-terminus of an RNA primer in reactions directed by the nucleotides of an RNA template in dilute aqueous solution at 0 °C. When a mixture of U-Val, A-Gly and G-Leu competed for coupling to Gly-RNA, base pairing dictated which dipeptide sequence formed preferentially. The resulting doubly anchored dipeptides can retain their link to the primer for further extension or can be fully released under mild acidic conditions. These results show that a single-nucleotide-based form of translation exists that requires no more than oligoribonucleotides and anchored amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biswarup Jash
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Peter Tremmel
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Dejana Jovanovic
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Clemens Richert
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.
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7
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Auboeuf D. The Physics-Biology continuum challenges darwinism: Evolution is directed by the homeostasis-dependent bidirectional relation between genome and phenotype. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 167:121-139. [PMID: 34097984 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2021.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The physics-biology continuum relies on the fact that life emerged from prebiotic molecules. Here, I argue that life emerged from the coupling between nucleic acid and protein synthesis during which proteins (or proto-phenotypes) maintained the physicochemical parameter equilibria (or proto-homeostasis) in the proximity of their encoding nucleic acids (or proto-genomes). This protected the proto-genome physicochemical integrity (i.e., atomic composition) from environmental physicochemical constraints, and therefore increased the probability of reproducing the proto-genome without variation. From there, genomes evolved depending on the biological activities they generated in response to environmental fluctuations. Thus, a genome maintaining homeostasis (i.e., internal physicochemical parameter equilibria), despite and in response to environmental fluctuations, maintains its physicochemical integrity and has therefore a higher probability to be reproduced without variation. Consequently, descendants have a higher probability to share the same phenotype than their parents. Otherwise, the genome is modified during replication as a consequence of the imbalance of the internal physicochemical parameters it generates, until new mutation-deriving biological activities maintain homeostasis in offspring. In summary, evolution depends on feedforward and feedback loops between genome and phenotype, as the internal physicochemical conditions that a genome generates ─ through its derived phenotype in response to environmental fluctuations ─ in turn either guarantee its stability or direct its variation. Evolution may not be explained by the Darwinism-derived, unidirectional principle (random mutations-phenotypes-natural selection) but rather by the bidirectional relationship between genome and phenotype, in which the phenotype in interaction with the environment directs the evolution of the genome it derives from.
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Affiliation(s)
- Didier Auboeuf
- ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, 46 Allée D'Italie, Site Jacques Monod, F-69007, Lyon, France.
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8
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Jash B, Richert C. Templates direct the sequence-specific anchoring of the C-terminus of peptido RNAs. Chem Sci 2020; 11:3487-3494. [PMID: 34109020 PMCID: PMC8152794 DOI: 10.1039/c9sc05958j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
When amino acids and ribonucleotides react in aqueous condensation buffer, they form peptido RNA with a phosphoramidate bond between the N-terminus of the peptide and the 5'-terminal phosphate of a ribonucleotide. If peptido RNA was the product of spontaneous reactions of amino acids and nucleotides, there must have been a transition to peptidyl tRNAs, where the C-terminus of the peptide is ester-linked to the 2',3'-terminus of an oligonucleotide. Here we report how short peptido RNAs react with the 3'-terminus of oligodeoxynucleotides, templated by RNA strands. In our model system, the rate and yield of the anchoring of the C-terminus of the dipeptido dinucleotides to an amino group was found to depend on the sequence of the peptide, the 5'-terminal nucleotide of the dinucleotide and the RNA template. In all cases tested, highest yields were found for dinucleotides hybridizing next to the primer terminus. For the most reactive species, GlyPro-AA, anchoring yields ranged from 8-99%, depending on the template. When LeuLeu-AA, PhePhe-AA and GlyGly-AA were allowed to compete for anchoring on 3'-UUC-5' as templating sequence, they gave a product ratio of 1 : 2 : 6, and this selectivity was almost independent of the terminal base of the primer. Our results show the control that a simple duplex context has over the covalent anchoring of peptido RNAs at a position known from peptidyl tRNAs. Processes of this type may have bridged the gap between untemplated condensation reactions and the highly specific processes of ribosomal protein synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biswarup Jash
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Stuttgart 70569 Stuttgart Germany +49 711 608 64321 +49 711 608 64311
| | - Clemens Richert
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Stuttgart 70569 Stuttgart Germany +49 711 608 64321 +49 711 608 64311
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9
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Auboeuf D. Physicochemical Foundations of Life that Direct Evolution: Chance and Natural Selection are not Evolutionary Driving Forces. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10020007. [PMID: 31973071 PMCID: PMC7175370 DOI: 10.3390/life10020007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The current framework of evolutionary theory postulates that evolution relies on random mutations generating a diversity of phenotypes on which natural selection acts. This framework was established using a top-down approach as it originated from Darwinism, which is based on observations made of complex multicellular organisms and, then, modified to fit a DNA-centric view. In this article, it is argued that based on a bottom-up approach starting from the physicochemical properties of nucleic and amino acid polymers, we should reject the facts that (i) natural selection plays a dominant role in evolution and (ii) the probability of mutations is independent of the generated phenotype. It is shown that the adaptation of a phenotype to an environment does not correspond to organism fitness, but rather corresponds to maintaining the genome stability and integrity. In a stable environment, the phenotype maintains the stability of its originating genome and both (genome and phenotype) are reproduced identically. In an unstable environment (i.e., corresponding to variations in physicochemical parameters above a physiological range), the phenotype no longer maintains the stability of its originating genome, but instead influences its variations. Indeed, environment- and cellular-dependent physicochemical parameters define the probability of mutations in terms of frequency, nature, and location in a genome. Evolution is non-deterministic because it relies on probabilistic physicochemical rules, and evolution is driven by a bidirectional interplay between genome and phenotype in which the phenotype ensures the stability of its originating genome in a cellular and environmental physicochemical parameter-depending manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Didier Auboeuf
- Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, 46 Allée d'Italie, Site Jacques Monod, F-69007, Lyon, France
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10
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Banwell EF, Piette BMAG, Taormina A, Heddle JG. Reciprocal Nucleopeptides as the Ancestral Darwinian Self-Replicator. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 35:404-416. [PMID: 29126321 PMCID: PMC5850689 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Even the simplest organisms are too complex to have spontaneously arisen fully formed, yet precursors to first life must have emerged ab initio from their environment. A watershed event was the appearance of the first entity capable of evolution: the Initial Darwinian Ancestor. Here, we suggest that nucleopeptide reciprocal replicators could have carried out this important role and contend that this is the simplest way to explain extant replication systems in a mathematically consistent way. We propose short nucleic acid templates on which amino-acylated adapters assembled. Spatial localization drives peptide ligation from activated precursors to generate phosphodiester-bond-catalytic peptides. Comprising autocatalytic protein and nucleic acid sequences, this dynamical system links and unifies several previous hypotheses and provides a plausible model for the emergence of DNA and the operational code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor F Banwell
- Heddle Initiative Research Unit, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | | | - Anne Taormina
- Department for Mathematical Sciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan G Heddle
- Heddle Initiative Research Unit, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.,Bionanoscience and Biochemistry Laboratory, Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
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11
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Wang T, Zhang P, Hu G, Gao Y, Wu Y, Xu P, Liu Y, Zhao Y. Mixed Anhydrides of Nucleotides and Amino Acids Give Dipeptides: A Model System for Studying the Origin of the Genetic Code? ChemistrySelect 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.201800965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tao Wang
- Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian ProvinceDepartment of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University, Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Pengbo Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian ProvinceDepartment of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University, Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Gaobo Hu
- Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian ProvinceDepartment of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University, Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Yuzhen Gao
- Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian ProvinceDepartment of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University, Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Yile Wu
- Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian ProvinceDepartment of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University, Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Pengxiang Xu
- Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian ProvinceDepartment of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University, Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Yan Liu
- Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian ProvinceDepartment of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University, Xiamen 361005 China
| | - Yufen Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian ProvinceDepartment of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringXiamen University, Xiamen 361005 China
- Institute of Drug Discovery TechnologyNingbo University Ningbo 315211 Zhejiang China
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education)Department of ChemistryTsinghua University Beijing 100084 China
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12
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Griesser H, Tremmel P, Kervio E, Pfeffer C, Steiner UE, Richert C. Ribonucleotides and RNA Promote Peptide Chain Growth. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2016; 56:1219-1223. [PMID: 28000995 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201610650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Revised: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
All known forms of life use RNA-mediated polypeptide synthesis to produce the proteins encoded in their genes. Because the principal parts of the translational machinery consist of RNA, it is likely that peptide synthesis was achieved early in the prebiotic evolution of an RNA-dominated molecular world. How RNA attracted amino acids and then induced peptide formation in the absence of enzymes has been unclear. Herein, we show that covalent capture of an amino acid as a phosphoramidate favors peptide formation. Peptide coupling is a robust process that occurs with different condensation agents. Kinetics show that covalent capture can accelerate chain growth over oligomerization of the free amino acid by at least one order of magnitude, so that there is no need for enzymatic catalysis for peptide synthesis to begin. Peptide chain growth was also observed on phosphate-terminated RNA strands. Peptide coupling promoted by ribonucleotides or ribonucleotide residues may have been an important transitional form of peptide synthesis that set in when amino acids were first captured by RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helmut Griesser
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Peter Tremmel
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Eric Kervio
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Camilla Pfeffer
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Ulrich E Steiner
- Department of Chemistry, University of Konstanz, 78457, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Clemens Richert
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
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13
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Griesser H, Tremmel P, Kervio E, Pfeffer C, Steiner UE, Richert C. Ribonucleotides and RNA Promote Peptide Chain Growth. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201610650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Helmut Griesser
- Institut für Organische Chemie Universität Stuttgart 70569 Stuttgart Germany
| | - Peter Tremmel
- Institut für Organische Chemie Universität Stuttgart 70569 Stuttgart Germany
| | - Eric Kervio
- Institut für Organische Chemie Universität Stuttgart 70569 Stuttgart Germany
| | - Camilla Pfeffer
- Institut für Organische Chemie Universität Stuttgart 70569 Stuttgart Germany
| | - Ulrich E. Steiner
- Department of Chemistry University of Konstanz 78457 Konstanz Germany
| | - Clemens Richert
- Institut für Organische Chemie Universität Stuttgart 70569 Stuttgart Germany
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14
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Griesser H, Bechthold M, Tremmel P, Kervio E, Richert C. Amino Acid‐Specific, Ribonucleotide‐Promoted Peptide Formation in the Absence of Enzymes. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201610651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Helmut Griesser
- Institut für Organische Chemie Universität Stuttgart 70569 Stuttgart Germany
| | - Maren Bechthold
- Institut für Organische Chemie Universität Stuttgart 70569 Stuttgart Germany
| | - Peter Tremmel
- Institut für Organische Chemie Universität Stuttgart 70569 Stuttgart Germany
| | - Eric Kervio
- Institut für Organische Chemie Universität Stuttgart 70569 Stuttgart Germany
| | - Clemens Richert
- Institut für Organische Chemie Universität Stuttgart 70569 Stuttgart Germany
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15
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Griesser H, Bechthold M, Tremmel P, Kervio E, Richert C. Amino Acid-Specific, Ribonucleotide-Promoted Peptide Formation in the Absence of Enzymes. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2016; 56:1224-1228. [PMID: 28000974 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201610651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Revised: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Nucleic acids and polypeptides are at the heart of life. It is interesting to ask whether the monomers of these biopolymers possess intrinsic reactivity that favors oligomerization in the absence of enzymes. We have recently observed that covalently linked peptido RNA chains form when mixtures of monomers react in salt-rich condensation buffer. Here, we report the results of a screen of the 20 proteinogenic amino acids and four ribonucleotides. None of the amino acids prevent phosphodiester formation, so all of them are compatible with genetic encoding through RNA chain growth. A reactivity landscape was found, in which peptide formation strongly depends on the structure of the amino acid, but less on the nucleobase. For example, proline gives ribonucleotide-bound peptides most readily, tyrosine favors pyrophosphate and phosphodiester formation, and histidine gives phosphorimidazolides as dominant products. When proline and aspartic acid were allowed to compete for incorporation, only proline was found at the N-terminus of peptido chains. The reactivity described here links two fundamental classes of biomolecules through reactions that occur without enzymes, but with amino acid specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helmut Griesser
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Maren Bechthold
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Peter Tremmel
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Eric Kervio
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Clemens Richert
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
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16
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Katz A, Elgamal S, Rajkovic A, Ibba M. Non-canonical roles of tRNAs and tRNA mimics in bacterial cell biology. Mol Microbiol 2016; 101:545-58. [PMID: 27169680 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are the macromolecules that transfer activated amino acids from aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases to the ribosome, where they are used for the mRNA guided synthesis of proteins. Transfer RNAs are ancient molecules, perhaps even predating the existence of the translation machinery. Albeit old, these molecules are tremendously conserved, a characteristic that is well illustrated by the fact that some bacterial tRNAs are efficient and specific substrates of eukaryotic aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and ribosomes. Considering their ancient origin and high structural conservation, it is not surprising that tRNAs have been hijacked during evolution for functions outside of translation. These roles beyond translation include synthetic, regulatory and information functions within the cell. Here we provide an overview of the non-canonical roles of tRNAs and their mimics in bacteria, and discuss some of the common themes that arise when comparing these different functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Assaf Katz
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, 8380453, Chile
| | - Sara Elgamal
- Department of Microbiology and The Center for RNA Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
| | - Andrei Rajkovic
- Department of Microbiology and The Center for RNA Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
| | - Michael Ibba
- Department of Microbiology and The Center for RNA Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
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Landmarks in the Evolution of (t)-RNAs from the Origin of Life up to Their Present Role in Human Cognition. Life (Basel) 2015; 6:life6010001. [PMID: 26703740 PMCID: PMC4810232 DOI: 10.3390/life6010001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Revised: 12/07/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
How could modern life have evolved? The answer to that question still remains unclear. However, evidence is growing that, since the origin of life, RNA could have played an important role throughout evolution, right up to the development of complex organisms and even highly sophisticated features such as human cognition. RNA mediated RNA-aminoacylation can be seen as a first landmark on the path from the RNA world to modern DNA- and protein-based life. Likewise, the generation of the RNA modifications that can be found in various RNA species today may already have started in the RNA world, where such modifications most likely entailed functional advantages. This association of modification patterns with functional features was apparently maintained throughout the further course of evolution, and particularly tRNAs can now be seen as paradigms for the developing interdependence between structure, modification and function. It is in this spirit that this review highlights important stepping stones of the development of (t)RNAs and their modifications (including aminoacylation) from the ancient RNA world up until their present role in the development and maintenance of human cognition. The latter can be seen as a high point of evolution at its present stage, and the susceptibility of cognitive features to even small alterations in the proper structure and functioning of tRNAs underscores the evolutionary relevance of this RNA species.
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From the RNA world to the RNA/protein world: contribution of some riboswitch-binding species? J Theor Biol 2015; 370:197-201. [PMID: 25571850 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2014.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2014] [Revised: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Some amino acids and their formal derivatives, currently riboswitch-binding species, could have interacted with polyribonucletides in prebiotic environments, leading to the peptide formation. If the resulting compounds had led to a sustainable polymerization of amino acids and the new structures had catalytic activity, such would have been an important contribution to the transition from the RNA world to the RNA/Protein world.
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Abstract
mRNA is the central molecule of all forms of life. It is generally accepted that current life on Earth descended from an RNA world. mRNA, after its first therapeutic description in 1992, has recently come into increased focus as a method to deliver genetic information. The recent solution to the two main difficulties in using mRNA as a therapeutic, immune stimulation and potency, has provided the basis for a wide range of applications. While mRNA-based cancer immunotherapies have been in clinical trials for a few years, novel approaches; including, in vivo delivery of mRNA to replace or supplement proteins, mRNA-based generation of pluripotent stem cells, or genome engineering using mRNA-encoded meganucleases are beginning to be realized. This review presents the current state of mRNA drug technologies and potential applications, as well as discussing the challenges and prospects in mRNA development and drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drew Weissman
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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Penny D, Zhong B. Two fundamental questions about protein evolution. Biochimie 2014; 119:278-83. [PMID: 25447137 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2014.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 10/15/2014] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Two basic questions are considered that approach protein evolution from different directions; the problems arising from using Markov models for the deeper divergences, and then the origin of proteins themselves. The real problem for the first question (going backwards in time) is that at deeper phylogenies the Markov models of sequence evolution must lose information exponentially at deeper divergences, and several testable methods are suggested that should help resolve these deeper divergences. For the second question (coming forwards in time) a problem is that most models for the origin of protein synthesis do not give a role for the very earliest stages of the process. From our knowledge of the importance of replication accuracy in limiting the length of a coding molecule, a testable hypothesis is proposed. The length of the code, the code itself, and tRNAs would all have prior roles in increasing the accuracy of RNA replication; thus proteins would have been formed only after the tRNAs and the length of the triplet code are already formed. Both questions lead to testable predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Penny
- Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
| | - Bojian Zhong
- Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Hartmann EM, Armengaud J. N-terminomics and proteogenomics, getting off to a good start. Proteomics 2014; 14:2637-46. [PMID: 25116052 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201400157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2014] [Revised: 04/23/2014] [Accepted: 08/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Proteogenomics consists of the annotation or reannotation of protein-coding nucleic acid sequences based on the empirical observation of their gene products. While functional annotation of predicted genes is increasingly feasible given the multiplicity of genomes available for many branches of the tree of life, the accurate annotation of the translational start sites is still a point of contention. Extensive coverage of the proteome, including specifically the N-termini, is now possible, thanks to next-generation mass spectrometers able to record data from thousands of proteins at once. Efforts to increase the peptide coverage of protein sequences and to detect low abundance proteins are important to make proteomic and proteogenomic studies more comprehensive. In this review, we present the panoply of N-terminus-oriented strategies that have been developed over the last decade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica M Hartmann
- Biology and the Built Environment Center, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
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Di Giulio M. The Origin of the Genetic Code: Matter of Metabolism or Physicochemical Determinism? J Mol Evol 2013; 77:131-3. [DOI: 10.1007/s00239-013-9593-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2013] [Accepted: 10/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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