Publication: Non-Enzymatic Copying of Nucleic Acid Templates
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2014-02-25
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Blain, Jonathan Craig. 2013. Non-Enzymatic Copying of Nucleic Acid Templates. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University.
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Abstract
All known living cells contain a complex set of molecular machinery to support their growth and replication. However, the earliest cells must have been much simpler, consisting of a compartment and a genetic material to allow for Darwinian evolution. To study these intermediates, plausible model `protocells' must be synthesized in the laboratory since no fossils remain. Recent work has shown that fatty acids can self-assemble into vesicles that are able to grow and divide through simple mechanisms. However, a self-replicating protocell genome has not yet been developed. Here we discuss studies of systems that allow for the copying of nucleic acid templates without enzymes and how they could be developed into a genetic material.
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Genetics, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Click chemistry, Origin of life, Protocell, Self replication, Synthetic biology
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