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
 

Project Description

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