title: Origin of informational polymers. Differential stability of 3'- and 5'-phosphoester bonds in deoxy monomers and oligomers.
abstract: To survive, an informational macromolecule must solve the major problem set by its very polymeric nature: instability. This is especially true in prebiotic terms because of the presumed initial absence of protective structures (proteins, lipids, etc.). We have analyzed the stability of the beta-glycosidic and of the 3'- and 5'-phosphoester bonds in both deoxy monomers and deoxy oligomers under a large set of conditions. The results show a strong dependence of the relative stability of these bonds on the physico-chemical environment. A set of conditions has been identified in which the stability of polymers becomes comparable with that of the precursor monomers. In certain instances the stability of the 5'-phosphoester bond is even higher in the polymer than in the mononucleotide.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento AgroBiologia and AgroChimica, Università della Tuscia, Via San Camillo De Lellis, Viterbo 01100, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saladino
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crestini
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Busiello
authors.forename: Fabiana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ciciriello
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Costanzo
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Di Mauro
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D002384:Catalysis; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D003839:Deoxyadenosines / Q000737:chemistry; D004952:Esters / Q000737:chemistry*; D005559:Formamides / Q000737:chemistry; D006027:Glycosides / Q000737:chemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009711:Nucleotides / Q000737:chemistry; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003839:Deoxyadenosines; D004952:Esters; D005559:Formamides; D006027:Glycosides; D008055:Lipids; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D009711:Nucleotides; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D011108:Polymers; C031066:formamide; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA