PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Lincoln, Tracey A.
AU  - Joyce, Gerald F.
TI  - Self-Sustained Replication of an RNA Enzyme
DP  - 2009 Feb 27
TA  - Science
PG  - 1229--1232
VI  - 323
IP  - 5918
4099  - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/323/5918/1229.short
4100  - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/323/5918/1229.full
SO  - Science2009 Feb 27; 323
AB  - An RNA enzyme that catalyzes the RNA-templated joining of RNA was converted to a format whereby two enzymes catalyze each other's synthesis from a total of four oligonucleotide substrates. These cross-replicating RNA enzymes undergo self-sustained exponential amplification in the absence of proteins or other biological materials. Amplification occurs with a doubling time of about 1 hour and can be continued indefinitely. Populations of various cross-replicating enzymes were constructed and allowed to compete for a common pool of substrates, during which recombinant replicators arose and grew to dominate the population. These replicating RNA enzymes can serve as an experimental model of a genetic system. Many such model systems could be constructed, allowing different selective outcomes to be related to the underlying properties of the genetic system.