It is said by many researchers that the first compound formed was an amino acid. What theories explain the evolution to RNA?
In accordance with the central dogma of molecular biology, RNA passes information between the DNA of a genome and the proteins expressed within an organism. Therefore from an evolutionary standpoint, a mutation within the DNA bases results in an alteration of the RNA transcripts, which in turn leads to a direct difference in phenotype. RNA is also believed to have been the genetic material of the first life on Earth. The role of RNA in the origin of life is best supported by the ease of forming RNA from basic chemical building blocks (such as amino acids, sugars, and hydroxyl acids). Molecules of RNA have also been shown to effectively self-replicate, catalyze basic reactions, and store heritable information. As life progressed and evolved over time only DNA, which is much more chemically stable than RNA, could support large genomes and eventually took over the role as the major carrier of genetic information.
Most RNA processing events work in concert with one another and produce networks of regulating processes that allow a greater variety of proteins to be expressed than those strictly directed by the genome.These RNA processing events can also be passed on from generation to generation via reverse transcription into the genome. Over time, RNA networks that produce the most fit phenotypes will be more likely to be maintained in a population, contributing to evolution. Studies have shown that RNA processing events have especially been critical with the fast phenotypic evolution of vertebrates—large jumps in phenotype explained by changes in RNA processing events. Human genome searches have also revealed RNA processing events that have provided significant “sequence space for more variability”. On the whole, RNA processing expands the possible phenotypes of a given genotype and contributes to the evolution and diversity of life.
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