Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

The origin and evolution of ribonucleotide reduction.

Lundin, Daniel ; Berggren, Gustav ; Logan, Derek LU orcid and Sjöberg, Britt-Marie (2015) In Life 5(1). p.604-636
Abstract
Ribonucleotide reduction is the only pathway for de novo synthesis of deoxyribonucleotides in extant organisms. This chemically demanding reaction, which proceeds via a carbon-centered free radical, is catalyzed by ribonucleotide reductase (RNR). The mechanism has been deemed unlikely to be catalyzed by a ribozyme, creating an enigma regarding how the building blocks for DNA were synthesized at the transition from RNA- to DNA-encoded genomes. While it is entirely possible that a different pathway was later replaced with the modern mechanism, here we explore the evolutionary and biochemical limits for an origin of the mechanism in the RNA + protein world and suggest a model for a prototypical ribonucleotide reductase (protoRNR). From the... (More)
Ribonucleotide reduction is the only pathway for de novo synthesis of deoxyribonucleotides in extant organisms. This chemically demanding reaction, which proceeds via a carbon-centered free radical, is catalyzed by ribonucleotide reductase (RNR). The mechanism has been deemed unlikely to be catalyzed by a ribozyme, creating an enigma regarding how the building blocks for DNA were synthesized at the transition from RNA- to DNA-encoded genomes. While it is entirely possible that a different pathway was later replaced with the modern mechanism, here we explore the evolutionary and biochemical limits for an origin of the mechanism in the RNA + protein world and suggest a model for a prototypical ribonucleotide reductase (protoRNR). From the protoRNR evolved the ancestor to modern RNRs, the urRNR, which diversified into the modern three classes. Since the initial radical generation differs between the three modern classes, it is difficult to establish how it was generated in the urRNR. Here we suggest a model that is similar to the B12-dependent mechanism in modern class II RNRs. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Life
volume
5
issue
1
pages
604 - 636
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • pmid:25734234
  • scopus:84924325740
  • pmid:25734234
ISSN
2075-1729
DOI
10.3390/life5010604
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
638c8064-a5bc-4041-ace7-977fffa5b262 (old id 5265458)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:12:53
date last changed
2022-03-29 06:13:07
@article{638c8064-a5bc-4041-ace7-977fffa5b262,
  abstract     = {{Ribonucleotide reduction is the only pathway for de novo synthesis of deoxyribonucleotides in extant organisms. This chemically demanding reaction, which proceeds via a carbon-centered free radical, is catalyzed by ribonucleotide reductase (RNR). The mechanism has been deemed unlikely to be catalyzed by a ribozyme, creating an enigma regarding how the building blocks for DNA were synthesized at the transition from RNA- to DNA-encoded genomes. While it is entirely possible that a different pathway was later replaced with the modern mechanism, here we explore the evolutionary and biochemical limits for an origin of the mechanism in the RNA + protein world and suggest a model for a prototypical ribonucleotide reductase (protoRNR). From the protoRNR evolved the ancestor to modern RNRs, the urRNR, which diversified into the modern three classes. Since the initial radical generation differs between the three modern classes, it is difficult to establish how it was generated in the urRNR. Here we suggest a model that is similar to the B12-dependent mechanism in modern class II RNRs.}},
  author       = {{Lundin, Daniel and Berggren, Gustav and Logan, Derek and Sjöberg, Britt-Marie}},
  issn         = {{2075-1729}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{604--636}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{Life}},
  title        = {{The origin and evolution of ribonucleotide reduction.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/life5010604}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/life5010604}},
  volume       = {{5}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}