Enzyme-free replication of oligoribonucleotides (P06)

• Subject Area: Statistical Physics, Nonlinear Dynamics, Complex Systems, Soft and Fluid Matter, Biological Physics
• Term: from 2018 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 364653263

The replication of RNA sequences in the absence of enzymes or ribozymes is central to origin of life scenarios, but has not been achieved experimentally. Our main goal is to build on our first successful demonstration of copying and to progress to replication, which requires strand separation, capture of the product strand, and identifying conditions for higher yielding phosphodiester formation, so that both a copy and a replica of the original template sequence can be formed. To achieve this, we will draw on our experience with copying on immobilized templates, and with biophysical modeling of the underlying processes.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 235: Emergence of Life: exploring mechanisms with cross-disciplinary experiments
• Applicant Institution: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Ulrich Gerland; Professor Dr. Clemens Richert