Abstract
The organization of molecules into cells is believed to have been critical for the emergence of living systems. Early protocells likely consisted of RNA functioning inside vesicles made of simple lipids. However, little is known about how encapsulation would affect the activity and folding of RNA. Here we find that confinement of the malachite green RNA aptamer inside fatty acid vesicles increases binding affinity and locally stabilizes the bound conformation of the RNA. The vesicle effectively ‘chaperones’ the aptamer, consistent with an excluded volume mechanism due to confinement. Protocellular organization thereby leads to a direct benefit for the RNA. Coupled with previously described mechanisms by which encapsulated RNA aids membrane growth, this effect illustrates how the membrane and RNA might cooperate for mutual benefit. Encapsulation could thus increase RNA fitness and the likelihood that functional sequences would emerge during the origin of life.
Highlights
The organization of molecules into cells is believed to have been critical for the emergence of living systems
Three types of vesicles based on MA were prepared: pure MA, MA with glycerol monomyristolein (GMM) in a 2:1 ratio, and MA with myristoleyl alcohol (MAOH) in a 10:1 ratio[39,41,42]
To determine the quantity malachite green (MG) RNA aptamer encapsulated, we measured the amount of RNA encapsulated using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) and compared it to the value expected from random encapsulation
Summary
The organization of molecules into cells is believed to have been critical for the emergence of living systems. We find that confinement of the malachite green RNA aptamer inside fatty acid vesicles increases binding affinity and locally stabilizes the bound conformation of the RNA. Vesicle growth can regulate encapsulated ribozymes by diluting inhibitory sequences[16], and dry–wet cycling with lipids may aid the synthesis of sugar-phosphate backbones for nucleic acids[17,18], but mechanisms by which encapsulation itself could improve RNA function have not yet been described. Studying how encapsulation affects functional RNA (e.g., RNA aptamers) is important for understanding the cooperative interactions that are fundamental to the early evolution of simple cells. There is a need to understand how encapsulation inside simple cells affects RNA function as well as folding, since proper folding is generally required for catalytic or binding activity[20]. While modern cell membranes are primarily composed of phospholipids, such membranes are not a b
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