title: Spontaneous Oligomerization of Nucleotide Alternatives in Aqueous Solutions.
abstract: On early Earth, a primitive polymer that could spontaneously form from likely available precursors may have preceded both RNA and DNA as the first genetic material. Here, we report that heated aqueous solutions containing 5-hydroxymethyluracil (HMU) result in oligomers of uracil, heated solutions containing 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (HMC) result in oligomers of cytosine, and heated solutions containing both HMU and HMC result in mixed oligomers of uracil and cytosine. Oligomerization of hydroxymethylated pyrimidines, which may have been abundant on the primitive Earth, might have been important in the development of simple informational polymers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geosciences and Penn State Astrobiology Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Karen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Geosciences and Penn State Astrobiology Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: House
authors.affiliation: Solar System Exploration Division and Goddard Center for Astrobiology, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA.
authors.forename: Jason P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dworkin
authors.affiliation: Solar System Exploration Division and Goddard Center for Astrobiology, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA. michaelcallahan914@boisestate.edu.|Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, ID, 83725, USA. michaelcallahan914@boisestate.edu.
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Callahan
mesh_terms: D044503:5-Methylcytosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry; D019418:Evolution, Chemical; D006358:Hot Temperature; D000069497:Origin of Life; D010432:Pentoxyl / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry; D058105:Polymerization; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014867:Water; C011865:5-hydroxymethylcytosine; C008055:5-hydroxymethyluracil; D044503:5-Methylcytosine; D010432:Pentoxyl
keywords: Liquid chromatography; Mass spectrometry; Oligomerization; Prebiotic chemistry; Pyrimidines