User:Federico Castro M/Projects/VSFH

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This project is about designing an organism that resembles the Last Universal Common Ancestor and whose construction is feasible.

Replication machinery

We have to start by:

  • Estimate the genomic size of LUCA.

Concivably an organism could survive in a controlled environment with a minimal genome of just 113kbp and 151 genes (Forster 2006). However, recent estimates sugest that LUCA was complex and probably had more than 600 genes (Kooning 2003).

  • Check if a RNA genome can sustain such genome size.

RNA is much more error-prone than DNA due to its higher mutation rate, so that RNA molecules cannot exceed certain size (Eigen limit) without falling into replicative catastrophe (Eigen 2002). This limit is small ~30-50kb which is only enough for a dozen genes or so.

  • Did LUCA have the necesary genetic machinery to support DNA?

Yes, three conserved genes have been found that were asociated with transcription and replication of DNA (Harris 2002).

Atte (membrillo): Wweww Desde Xicotencatl Tlalpan, translate this Google :)

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