Re: Beginning of Transcription

From: TomHendricks474 (tomhendricks474_at_cs.com)
Date: 11/06/04 

Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2004 18:33:00 +0000 (UTC)

<< Today I succeeded in imagining intermediate steps in the
evolution of transcription of proteins. Of course, I don't
know whether that's how it happened. Or whether others have
described it similarly in the past. I'd be interested in
suggestions of books that talk about this sort of thing.

I imagine that the first life involved replication of
RNA but not manipulation of proteins. I imagine it could
have progressed through the following steps:

(snipped)

TH
I tend to think that RNA and peptides were brought
together for no other reason than 1. they better
survived the heat cycle together than apart.
2. they were attached by an intermediary - ATP
which helped energize both. Thus wherever the
ATP was - anything around it would be helped.

3. later I think there was a general coupling
of the more prevalent purine bases with the more
prevalent hydrophilic amino acids, and the
less prevalent pyrimidines (due to UV dimers)
with the less prevalent hydrophobic amino acids.
And this set up the genetic code.