AbstractThe RNA world concept1 is one of the most fundamental pillars of the origin of life theory2–4. It predicts that life evolved from increasingly complex self-replicating RNA molecules1,2,4. The question of how this RNA world then advanced to the next stage, in which proteins became the catalysts of life and RNA reduced its function predominantly to information storage, is one of the most mysterious chicken-and-egg conundrums in evolution3–5. Here we show that non-canonical RNA bases, which are found today in transfer and ribosomal RNAs6,7, and which are considered to be relics of the RNA world8–12, are able to establish peptide synthesis directly on RNA. The discovered chemistry creates complex peptide-decorated RNA chimeric molecules, which suggests the early existence of an RNA–peptide world13 from which ribosomal peptide synthesis14 may have emerged15,16. The ability to grow peptides on RNA with the help of non-canonical vestige nucleosides offers the possibility of an early co-evolution of covalently connected RNAs and peptides13,17,18, which then could have dissociated at a higher level of sophistication to create the dualistic nucleic acid–protein world that is the hallmark of all life on Earth.
摘要 RNA 世界概念1 是生命起源理论2-4 最基本的支柱之一。它预言生命是从日益复杂的自我复制 RNA 分子演化而来的1,2,4。蛋白质成为生命的催化剂,而 RNA 则将其功能主要简化为信息存储,这个问题是进化论中最神秘的鸡生蛋还是蛋生鸡的难题之一3-5。在这里,我们展示了非经典 RNA 碱基,它们如今存在于转移 RNA 和核糖体 RNA 中6,7 ,被认为是 RNA 世界的遗迹8-12 ,能够直接在 RNA 上建立肽合成。所发现的化学反应产生了复杂的肽装饰 RNA 嵌合体分子,这表明早期存在一个 RNA 肽世界13 ,核糖体肽合成14 可能就是从这个世界中产生的15,16。借助非典型残余核苷在 RNA 上生长肽的能力提供了早期共价连接的 RNA 和肽共同进化的可能性13,17,18,然后它们可能在更高的复杂程度上分离,创造出核酸-蛋白质二元世界,这是地球上所有生命的标志。