The discovery of catalytically active RNA molecules has provided considerable credibility to the possibility that the first living entities were largely based on ribozymes, in an early stage called the RNA world. Coenzymes play a pivotal role in extant biosynthetic routes, and as argued long time ago by R. E. Eakin, P. Handler, L. E. Orgel and H. B. White III, the presence of an adenosyl moiety in ATP, FADH, NAD(P)H, coenzyme A, S-adenosylmethionine and adenosylcobalamine links these cofactors with RNA biochemistry, and suggest that ribonucleotide-like coenzymes and other cofactors are the oldest metabolic fossils. This possibility is supported by the easiness of prebiotic synthesis of several cofactor components, including adenine and nicotinamide derivatives. The ribonucleotide moieties of many coenzymes may reflect recruitment processes that diversified the catalytic abilities of ribozymes, providing new venues for an increasingly complex RNA world metabolism. The evidence suggesting that histidine, alarmones and other imidazole-bearing compounds can also be considered holdovers of primitive RNA-based living systems will be addressed.

RNA world: Coming out of the shadows

248th National Meeting (2014)

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