On the prebiotic selection of nucleotide anomers: A computational study

Present-day known predominance of the & xfffd;& xfffd;& xfffd;& xfffd;& xfffd;& xfffd;-over the & xfffd;& xfffd;& xfffd;& xfffd;& xfffd;& xfffd;-anomers in nucleosides and nucleotides emerges from a thermodynamic analysis of their assembly from their components, i.e. bases, sugars, and a phosphate group. Furthermore, the incorporation of uracil into RNA and thymine into DNA rather than the other way around is also predicted from the calculations. An interplay of kinetics and thermodynamics must have driven evolutionary selection of life's building blocks. In this work, based on quantum chemical calculations, we focus on the latter control as a tool for natural selection.

Automated summary

This article utilizes thermodynamic analysis and quantum chemical calculations to investigate the predominance of α-D and β-D ribose derivatives in nucleotides, and predicts the order of uracil and thymine incorporation in RNA and DNA. It explores the interplay of kinetics and thermodynamics in the evolutionary selection of life's building blocks.