The role of polysaccharides in the molecular evolution of biopolymers

Abstract

The empirical (biochemical, the PCR method) and computational (quantum-chemical, PM3) methods have shown the ability of polysaccharides to catalyze the polymerization of amino acids and nucleotides within the physiologically acceptable temperature range. The possibility of nucleotide aminoacylation in the presence of polysaccharides has been established. The suggestion has been made that abiogenic aminoacylation of nucleotides by polysaccharides served as the prototype of the original aminoacylpre-tRNA-synthetase activity and subsequently determined the formation of the modern mechanism of genetic information transfer via three biopolymer types—nucleic acids, proteins and polysaccharides.