RNA catalysis through compartmentalization
RNA catalysis through compartmentalization
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DOI：
10.1038/nchem.1466
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发表时间：
2012-11-01
期刊：
影响因子：
21.8
通讯作者：
Bevilacqua, Philip C.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Strulson, Christopher A.;Molden, Rosalynn C.;Bevilacqua, Philip C.
RNA在现代生命形式中发挥着重要的细胞功能。它作为遗传信息的催化剂和存储机制的能力也是RNA世界假说的重要组成部分。现代细胞内的区室化允许控制RNA的局部浓度，并且有人认为这在早期生命形式中也很重要。在这里，我们模仿细胞内区室化和大分子拥挤分区RNA在一个水两相系统（ATPS）。我们表明，RNA的浓度富集了高达3,000倍的聚乙二醇/葡聚糖ATPS的富葡聚糖相，并证明这可以导致核酶切割速率增加约70倍。这种速率增强可以通过ATPS中两相的相对体积来调节。我们的观察支持了在RNA世界以及现代生物学中实现功能的区室化的重要性。
RNA performs important cellular functions in contemporary life forms. Its ability to act both as a catalyst and a storage mechanism for genetic information is also an important part of the RNA world hypothesis. Compartmentalization within modern cells allows the local concentration of RNA to be controlled and it has been suggested that this was also important in early life forms. Here, we mimic intracellular compartmentalization and macromolecular crowding by partitioning RNA in an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS). We show that the concentration of RNA is enriched by up to 3,000-fold in the dextran-rich phase of a polyethylene glycol/dextran ATPS and demonstrate that this can lead to approximately 70-fold increase in the rate of ribozyme cleavage. This rate enhancement can be tuned by the relative volumes of the two phases in the ATPS. Our observations support the importance of compartmentalization in the attainment of function in an RNA World as well as in modern biology.