Pioneering role of RNA in the early evolution of life

Muñoz-Velasco, Israel; Cruz-González, Adrián; Hernández-Morales, Ricardo; Campillo-Balderas, José Alberto; Cottom-Salas, Wolfgang; Jácome, Rodrigo; Vázquez-Salazar, Alberto

doi:10.1590/1678-4685-GMB-2024-0028

Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

Brasil

Genetics and Molecular Biology

Español English

Brasil

Español English

sumário « anterior atual seguinte »

Sumário

Young Latin American Geneticists - Special Issue • Genet. Mol. Biol. 47 (Suppl 1) • 2024 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4685-GMB-2024-0028 copy

Pioneering role of RNA in the early evolution of life

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

The catalytic, regulatory and structural properties of RNA, combined with their extraordinary ubiquity in cellular processes, are consistent with the proposal that this molecule played a much more conspicuous role in heredity and metabolism during the early stages of biological evolution. This review explores the pivotal role of RNA in the earliest life forms and its relevance in modern biological systems. It examines current models that study the early evolution of life, providing insights into the primordial RNA world and its legacy in contemporary biology.

Keywords:
RNA world; ribozyme; origin of life; RNA viruses; viroids

Features	Properties
Genome architecture	Small genome size (<40 kb)
	Strandedness: Single(+ or -/ambisense) or double-stranded RNA
	Segmentation: non-segmented and segmented RNA
	Partition: mono- and multi-partite RNA
	Common overlapping genes
Genome replication	Short time replication
	Use of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and reverse transcriptase for replication and transcription of genetic material
	Use of 3’-5’ exonuclease for proofreading
Evolutionary processes	High mutation (10^-4-10^-6 substitutions per nucleotide site per cell infection)
	Recombination and reassortment
	Low gene duplication
	Low horizontal gene transfer

Sociedade Brasileira de Genética Rua Cap. Adelmio Norberto da Silva, 736, 14025-670 Ribeirão Preto SP Brazil, Tel.: (55 16) 3911-4130 / Fax.: (55 16) 3621-3552 - Ribeirão Preto - SP - Brazil
E-mail: editor@gmb.org.br

Acompanhe os números deste periódico no seu leitor de RSS

[1] Send correspondence to
Alberto Vázquez-Salazar. University of California Los Angeles, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 420 Westwood Plaza, Box 951592, 90095-1592, California, USA. E-mail: albertovazquez@ucla.edu.