Origin and evolution of heredity-metabolism system.
The role of "theoretical physics" in the elucidation of the origin of life has been advanced by Eigen's hypercycle theory on ancient protein synthesis system and by Dyson's random drift theory on the autocatalytic formation of enzymes, although these approaches from the informational side involve many problems to be resolved. On the other hand, our C4N model calls for a stronger role of physico-chemistry in the understanding of the origin of life. Plant virus and movable genes could be the fossil vestiges of the ancient protein synthetic system, where tRNA identical to mRNA identical to gene. It is pointed out that functional differentiation of proteins closely correlates with the structure of the primitive tRNAs. Possible initial forms of the primitive tRNAs used by the earliest organisms are explicitly shown, in which the above correlation is carefully taken into account. The system of the primitive genes and the primitive enzymes in the proto-cellular membrane, say the marigranule, might simulate the earliest organism.
D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004798:Enzymes / Q000235:genetics*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D000069497:Origin of Life; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012343:RNA, Transfer / Q000235:genetics
D004798:Enzymes; D011506:Proteins; D012343:RNA, Transfer