RNA synthesis before the origin of life

Abstract

Since RNA possesses both genetic information and catalytic abilities, it is a potential biopolymer that is thought to support primordial life before the present DNA-protein system. There were multiple sources that provided the building blocks of RNA and facilitated its synthesis on the prebiotic Earth. However, it remains unclear whether these sources provided a sufficient amount of building blocks. Moreover, several aspects of spontaneous construction of RNA, such as formation of glycosidic bonds and phosphoester bonds between building blocks, are yet to be elucidated. Nevertheless, recent studies have provided a number of insights into the spontaneous formation of RNA on the prebiotic Earth.