title: RNA-directed amino acid coupling as a model reaction for primitive coded translation.
abstract: The stereochemical theory claims that primitive coded translation initially occurred in the RNA world by RNA-directed amino acid coupling. In this study, we show that the HIV Tat aptamer RNA is capable of recognizing two consecutive arginine residues within the Tat peptide, thus demonstrating how RNA might be able to position two amino acids for sequence-specific coupling. We also show that this RNA can act as a template to accelerate the coupling of a single arginine residue to the N-terminal arginine residue of a peptide primer. The results might have implications for our understanding of the origin of translation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Tokyo Gakugei University, 4-1-1 Nukuikita-machi, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8501 (Japan). harada@u-gakugei.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Shoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aoyama
authors.forename: Akimasa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matsugami
authors.forename: Penmetcha K R
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katahira
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ohkanda
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D001120:Arginine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D001665:Binding Sites; D006678:HIV / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D010455:Peptides; D012367:RNA, Viral; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D001120:Arginine
keywords: RNA recognition; RNA-amino acid interactions; molecular evolution; peptide bond formation; translation