Doctoral Themes - Proposals

From Ribose to the Polyribonucleotides Syntheses by a Prebiotic Unifying Approach

Supervisors

José Armando Luísa da Silva, pcd1950@tecnico.ulisboa.pt

José do Rosário Ascenso, jose.ascenso@tecnico.ulisboa.pt

Registration Institution

Instituto Superior Técnico (Universidade de Lisboa)

Project description

The origin of life is one of the most recurring questions of mankind, being the “RNA world hypothesis” the most accepted model to explain the emergence of life. However, several steps of this hypothesis are not yet proved. It was suggested borate as constituent of the reaction mixture to promote the synthesis of the RNA prebiotic precursors. This proposal presents a unifying conception of the synthesis of polyribonucleotides from ribose based on borate. Aqueous solutions, dry, or alternately dry and wet environments, and systems (e.g. hydrogels) that lead to the confinement of reagents that are enabled, to reach the critical concentrations for the formation of more complex systems, will be tested. In these syntheses, ribose or its derivatives (such as nucleosides) will be stabilised/protected by an inorganic borate salt (it binds to the vicinal groups of the carbon atoms in pentose or its derivatives). These reactions will be carried out from temperatures above ambient up to 150ºC, using ribose, urea and/or its precursors and borate. Subsequently the synthesis of ribonucleotides will be carried out in presence of a source of inorganic phosphate and then of polyribonucleotides. The use of catalysts or activators can be relevant in the various steps. The characterization of the compounds and intermediates of the reactions and the determination of the yields of the reactions will be carried out, at least, by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry techniques, and HPLC.

Keywords

Ribonucleosides; Ribonucleotides; Ribonucleobases; Phosphorylation; Hydrogeles

Societal Challenges

Scientific developments associated with the origin of life will lead to a more inclusive education, reducing preconceptions based on anti-scientific approaches and favour a better understand of terrestrial evolution. Additionally, the knowledge acquired may have implications in areas as different as health sciences or materials; for example, concerning hydrogels, results obtained may allow new applications of these systems.

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