Title:Non-enzymatic Polymerization of Nucleic Acids from Monomers: Monomer Self- Condensation and Template-Directed Reactions
VOLUME: 9 ISSUE: 6
Author(s):Mark Dorr, Philipp M.G. Loffler and Pierre-Alain Monnard
Affiliation:Center for Fundamental Living Technology, Department of Physics and Chemistry, University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Campusvej 55, DK-5230, Odense, Denmark.
Keywords:Activated nucleotides, micro-environments, monomer self-condensation, non-enzymatic, nucleic acids, synthetic biology, template-
directed polymerization, template-directed replication.
Abstract:This review deals with the state-of-the-art techniques in non-enzymatic nucleic acid condensation from monomers. In particular,
the procedures called monomer self-condensation and template-directed monomer condensation are described, which have been developed
to achieve efficient synthesis of long nucleic acid polymers or to sequence-specifically amplify nucleic acid polymers, respectively.
Starting from molecular requirements, details of the polymerization mechanisms and strategies are first presented and then compared.
Finally, we discuss the relevance of these strategies to the investigation of possible early molecular information systems on the
prebiotic earth and the development of novel synthetic methodologies for nucleic acids.
