Coevolution of RNase P and the ribosome - PubMed
5 hours ago
- #translation
- #RNA evolution
- #origin of life
- The ribosome and RNase P are ancient ribonucleoprotein complexes that reached structural and functional maturity by the time of LUCA.
- The study reconstructs the evolutionary history of RNase P using structural phylogeny, similar to prior work on the ribosome.
- RNase P RNA (RPR) sequences and structures were analyzed across phylogeny, revealing modular accretion over evolution while preserving preexisting structures.
- Interactions with tRNA link the evolutionary paths of RPR and rRNA, suggesting coevolution as part of an integrated system.
- The ancestral catalytic sites of rRNA and RPR formed through the fusion of two stem-elbow-stem elements.
- Some accreted elements in rRNA and RPR may share a common ancestry.
- Correct secondary structures are crucial for applying the accretion model, requiring reorganization of a pseudoknot in RPR.