title: The search for a potentially prebiotic synthesis of nucleotides via arabinose-3-phosphate and its cyanamide derivative.
abstract: For the RNA world hypothesis to be accepted, the constitutional self-assembly of RNA will have to be demonstrated. Conceptually, the simplest route to RNA involves nucleotide polymerisation. Activated pyrimidine nucleotides can be derived from arabinose-3-phosphate under potentially prebiotic conditions, but the prebiotic synthesis of this sugar phosphate has not hitherto been investigated. The results of synthetic approaches involving phosphorylation, phosphate migration and 2,3-C--C bond construction are described herein.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Anastasi
authors.forename: Fabien F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Buchet
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Crowe
authors.forename: Madeleine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Helliwell
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Raftery
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Sutherland
mesh_terms: D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D003484:Cyanamide / Q000737:chemistry*; D019418:Evolution, Chemical; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009711:Nucleotides / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D010755:Organophosphates / Q000737:chemistry; D000069497:Origin of Life; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000737:chemistry; D013403:Sugar Phosphates / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D009711:Nucleotides; D010755:Organophosphates; D011743:Pyrimidines; D013403:Sugar Phosphates; C528334:arabinose-3-phosphate; C414399:cyclotriphosphoric acid; D003484:Cyanamide; C030986:pyrimidine