Back to Search Start Over

Cyanamide mediated syntheses under plausible primitive earth conditions

Authors :
J. Oró
E. Sherwood
A. Joshi
Source :
Journal of Molecular Evolution. 10:193-209
Publication Year :
1977
Publisher :
Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 1977.

Abstract

When an aqueous solution (pH 7.0) of 3H deoxythymidine 5'-triphosphate, deoxythymidine 5'-phosphate, 4-amino-5-imidazolecarboxamide, cyanamide and ammonium chloride was dried and heated at 60 degrees C for 18 h, oligomers were obtained in a yield of approximately 80%. After the chemical degradation of any pyrophosphate bonds present in these oligomers, linear polynucleotides of up to 7-8 units in length were isolated by DEAE cellulose column chromatography and identified by enzymatic digestion procedures. The di- and trinucleotide fractions were degraded 87% and 100% by snake venom phosphodiesterase and 39% and 9% by spleen phosphodiesterase. This synthesis of deoxythymidine oligonucleotides was conducted under potentially prebiotic conditions and may offer a possible method for the synthesis of deoxyoligonucleotides on the primitive Earth.

Details

ISSN :
14321432 and 00222844
Volume :
10
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Journal of Molecular Evolution
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....2d27c99027e20296e4312d5a80f90ca4
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01764595