title: Constructive Approaches for Understanding the Origin of Self-Replication and Evolution.
abstract: The mystery of the origin of life can be divided into two parts. The first part is the origin of biomolecules: under what physicochemical conditions did biomolecules such as amino acids, nucleotides, and their polymers arise? The second part of the mystery is the origin of life-specific functions such as the replication of genetic information, the reproduction of cellular structures, metabolism, and evolution. These functions require the coordination of many different kinds of biological molecules. A direct strategy to approach the second part of the mystery is the constructive approach, in which life-specific functions are recreated in a test tube from specific biological molecules. Using this approach, we are able to employ design principles to reproduce life-specific functions, and the knowledge gained through the reproduction process provides clues as to their origins. In this mini-review, we introduce recent insights gained using this approach, and propose important future directions for advancing our understanding of the origins of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioinformatics Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. ichihashi@ist.osaka-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Norikazu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ichihashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioinformatics Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. tetsuyayomo@gmail.com.|Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. tetsuyayomo@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yomo
keywords: constructive approach; evolution; in vitro system; self-replication system