Tag mechanism as a strategy for the RNA replicase to resist parasites in the RNA world.
The idea that life may have started with an "RNA world" is attractive. Wherein, a crucial event (perhaps at the very beginning of the scenario) should have been the emergence of a ribozyme that catalyzes its own replication, i.e., an RNA replicase. Although now there is experimental eviden...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2017-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5333815?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818587879642759168 |
|---|---|
| author | Sanmao Wu Chunwu Yu Wentao Zhang Shaolin Yin Yong Chen Yu Feng Wentao Ma |
| author_facet | Sanmao Wu Chunwu Yu Wentao Zhang Shaolin Yin Yong Chen Yu Feng Wentao Ma |
| author_sort | Sanmao Wu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The idea that life may have started with an "RNA world" is attractive. Wherein, a crucial event (perhaps at the very beginning of the scenario) should have been the emergence of a ribozyme that catalyzes its own replication, i.e., an RNA replicase. Although now there is experimental evidence supporting the chemical feasibility of such a ribozyme, the evolutionary dynamics of how the replicase could overcome the "parasite" problem (because other RNAs may also exploit this ribozyme) and thrive, as described in the scenario, remains unclear. It has been suggested that spatial limitation may have been important for the replicase to confront parasites. However, more studies showed that such a mechanism is not sufficient when this ribozyme's altruistic trait is taken into full consideration. "Tag mechanism", which means labeling the replicase with a short subsequence for recognition in replication, may be a further mechanism supporting the thriving of the replicase. However, because parasites may also "equip" themselves with the tag, it is far from clear whether the tag mechanism could take effect. Here, we conducted a computer simulation using a Monte-Carlo model to study the evolutionary dynamics surrounding the development of a tag-driven (polymerase-type) RNA replicase in the RNA world. We concluded that (1) with the tag mechanism the replicase could resist the parasites and become prosperous, (2) the main underlying reason should be that the parasitic molecules, especially those strong parasites, are more difficult to appear in the tag-driven system, and (3) the tag mechanism has a synergic effect with the spatial limitation mechanism-while the former provides "time" for the replicase to escape from parasites, the latter provides "space" for the replicase to escape. Notably, tags may readily serve as "control handles", and once the tag mechanism was exploited, the evolution towards complex life may have been much easier. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T09:15:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ad327335faff4d1fb183c17b4cafbc0f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T09:15:52Z |
| publishDate | 2017-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-ad327335faff4d1fb183c17b4cafbc0f2022-12-21T22:36:53ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032017-01-01123e017270210.1371/journal.pone.0172702Tag mechanism as a strategy for the RNA replicase to resist parasites in the RNA world.Sanmao WuChunwu YuWentao ZhangShaolin YinYong ChenYu FengWentao MaThe idea that life may have started with an "RNA world" is attractive. Wherein, a crucial event (perhaps at the very beginning of the scenario) should have been the emergence of a ribozyme that catalyzes its own replication, i.e., an RNA replicase. Although now there is experimental evidence supporting the chemical feasibility of such a ribozyme, the evolutionary dynamics of how the replicase could overcome the "parasite" problem (because other RNAs may also exploit this ribozyme) and thrive, as described in the scenario, remains unclear. It has been suggested that spatial limitation may have been important for the replicase to confront parasites. However, more studies showed that such a mechanism is not sufficient when this ribozyme's altruistic trait is taken into full consideration. "Tag mechanism", which means labeling the replicase with a short subsequence for recognition in replication, may be a further mechanism supporting the thriving of the replicase. However, because parasites may also "equip" themselves with the tag, it is far from clear whether the tag mechanism could take effect. Here, we conducted a computer simulation using a Monte-Carlo model to study the evolutionary dynamics surrounding the development of a tag-driven (polymerase-type) RNA replicase in the RNA world. We concluded that (1) with the tag mechanism the replicase could resist the parasites and become prosperous, (2) the main underlying reason should be that the parasitic molecules, especially those strong parasites, are more difficult to appear in the tag-driven system, and (3) the tag mechanism has a synergic effect with the spatial limitation mechanism-while the former provides "time" for the replicase to escape from parasites, the latter provides "space" for the replicase to escape. Notably, tags may readily serve as "control handles", and once the tag mechanism was exploited, the evolution towards complex life may have been much easier.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5333815?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Sanmao Wu Chunwu Yu Wentao Zhang Shaolin Yin Yong Chen Yu Feng Wentao Ma Tag mechanism as a strategy for the RNA replicase to resist parasites in the RNA world. PLoS ONE |
| title | Tag mechanism as a strategy for the RNA replicase to resist parasites in the RNA world. |
| title_full | Tag mechanism as a strategy for the RNA replicase to resist parasites in the RNA world. |
| title_fullStr | Tag mechanism as a strategy for the RNA replicase to resist parasites in the RNA world. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tag mechanism as a strategy for the RNA replicase to resist parasites in the RNA world. |
| title_short | Tag mechanism as a strategy for the RNA replicase to resist parasites in the RNA world. |
| title_sort | tag mechanism as a strategy for the rna replicase to resist parasites in the rna world |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5333815?pdf=render |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sanmaowu tagmechanismasastrategyforthernareplicasetoresistparasitesinthernaworld AT chunwuyu tagmechanismasastrategyforthernareplicasetoresistparasitesinthernaworld AT wentaozhang tagmechanismasastrategyforthernareplicasetoresistparasitesinthernaworld AT shaolinyin tagmechanismasastrategyforthernareplicasetoresistparasitesinthernaworld AT yongchen tagmechanismasastrategyforthernareplicasetoresistparasitesinthernaworld AT yufeng tagmechanismasastrategyforthernareplicasetoresistparasitesinthernaworld AT wentaoma tagmechanismasastrategyforthernareplicasetoresistparasitesinthernaworld |