Closing the Circle: Replicating RNA with RNA

Abstract

How life emerged on this planet is one of the most important and fundamental questions of science. Although nearly all details concerning our origins have been lost in the depths of time, there is compelling evidence to suggest that the earliest life might have exploited the catalytic and self-recognition properties of RNA to survive. If an RNA based replicating system could be constructed in the laboratory, it would be much easier to understand the challenges associated with the very earliest steps in evolution and provide important insight into the establishment of the complex metabolic systems that now dominate this planet. Recent progress into the selection and characterization of ribozymes that promote nucleotide synthesis and RNA polymerization are discussed and outstanding problems in the field of RNA-mediated RNA replication are summarized.