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The evolution of the ribonucleotide reductases: Much ado about oxygen

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Author

Summary, in English

Ribonucleotide reduction is the only known biological means for de novo production of deoxyribonucleotides, the building blocks of DNA. These are produced from ribonucleotides, the building blocks of RNA, and the direction of this reaction has been taken to support the idea that, in evolution, RNA preceded DNA as genetic material. However, an understanding of the evolutionary relationships among the three modern-day classes of ribonucleotide reductase and how the first reductase arose early in evolution is still far off. We propose that the diversification of this class of enzymes is inherently tied to microbial colonization of aerobic and anaerobic niches. The work is of broader interest, as it also sheds light on the process of adaptation to oxygenic environments consequent to the evolution of atmospheric oxygen.

Publishing year

2002

Language

English

Pages

180-196

Publication/Series

Journal of Molecular Evolution

Volume

55

Issue

2

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Springer

Topic

  • Biological Sciences

Keywords

  • evolution
  • oxygen
  • anaerobic
  • aerobic
  • ribonucleotide reductase
  • DNA origins

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0022-2844