Origin of informational polymers. Differential stability of 3'- and 5'-phosphoester bonds in deoxy monomers and oligomers |
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Authors: | Saladino Raffaele Crestini Claudia Busiello Vincenzo Ciciriello Fabiana Costanzo Giovanna Di Mauro Ernesto |
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Affiliation: | Dipartimento AgroBiologia and AgroChimica, Università della Tuscia, Via San Camillo De Lellis, Viterbo 01100, Italy. |
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Abstract: | To survive, an informational macromolecule must solve the major problem set by its very polymeric nature: instability. This is especially true in prebiotic terms because of the presumed initial absence of protective structures (proteins, lipids, etc.). We have analyzed the stability of the beta-glycosidic and of the 3'- and 5'-phosphoester bonds in both deoxy monomers and deoxy oligomers under a large set of conditions. The results show a strong dependence of the relative stability of these bonds on the physico-chemical environment. A set of conditions has been identified in which the stability of polymers becomes comparable with that of the precursor monomers. In certain instances the stability of the 5'-phosphoester bond is even higher in the polymer than in the mononucleotide. |
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