title: A vestige of a prebiotic bonding machine is functioning within the contemporary ribosome.
abstract: Based on the presumed capability of a prebiotic pocket-like entity to accommodate substrates whose stereochemistry enables the creation of chemical bonds, it is suggested that a universal symmetrical region identified within all contemporary ribosomes originated from an entity that we term the 'proto-ribosome'. This 'proto-ribosome' could have evolved from an earlier machine that was capable of performing essential tasks in the RNA world, called here the 'pre-proto-ribosome', which was adapted for producing proteins.
authors.affiliation: Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: Miri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krupkin
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Matzov
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Metz
authors.forename: Rinat
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kalaora
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Belousoff
authors.forename: Ella
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.forename: Anat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bashan
authors.forename: Ada
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yonath
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D001665:Binding Sites; D002384:Catalysis; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D059370:RNA Folding; D020871:RNA Stability; D016337:RNA, Catalytic / Q000737:chemistry; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry*; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry; D012343:RNA, Transfer / Q000737:chemistry; D012270:Ribosomes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D016337:RNA, Catalytic; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; D012343:RNA, Transfer