Self-replication processes

The matrix properties of RNA make the self-replication process easier. RNA matrices are able to control the synthesis of complementary oligonucleotides. 

In spite of their attractive features, one of the problems usually encountered in self-replicating systems is the formation of very stable dimmers between the template and the complementary product formed. This obviously imposes important limitations to the use of self-replicating processes for the formation of large quantities of a specific product. 

The hexamer formation proceeds via the ter-molecular complex M, and the proximity between A and B in this complex facihtates their covalent linkage. Thus, once the complex D is dissociated, two T molecules are formed, and the autocatalytic self-replication process can start with the progression described above two give four, four give eight, eight give sixteen, and so on. 

Difunctional binding and catalysis has been observed in functionalized cyclo-dextrins [5.66] and in a hydrogen bonding cleft [5.67], Functionalized crown ethers have been used as reagent for peptide synthesis [5.68]. Self-replication processes also involve bond formation reactions they will be discussed in Section 9.6. 

Frank proposed a mechanism for the autocatalytic self-replicating process in which a chemical substance catalyzes its own production and acts as an anticatalyst for the production of the enantiomer without mentioning any actual compound or actual reaction [17]. hi this kinetic model, it is possible to obtain an enantiomerically enriched compound from an ex-... 

Self-replicating processes based on simple organic molecules may allow the transfer of chemical information to be passed on through the regio- and stereoselectivity of the template-catalyzed bond formation. A self-replicating system in which stereochemical information was transmitted faithfully to the formed template within the reactive ternary duplex was demonstrated using the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between nitrone 21 and maleimide 22 (Figure 10) ... 

Figure 4 Kinetic analysis of the self-replication process of Ti. The graphs present the production of Ti over time from Ei and Ni initially seeded with the indicated concentrations of Ti. In the control experiment, the production of Ti in the tonplate-free reaction, shown in gray, was followed for comparison and also presented in the inset to anphasize the amplified growth of Ti over longer time.

Well before life arrived on Earth, however, a self-replicating process was necessary. How It seems reasonable to suppose that specific nucleic acid-nucleic acid and nucleic acid-protein interactions were of fundamental importance for the replication of nucleic acids and the evolution of the genetic code (48). Such recognition processes are dependent on base sequence and amino acid sequence. According to R. D. MacElroy from NASA, these would probably play a key role in the formation of protein nucleic acid complexes. 

This part provides an abstract description of the minimal core components, processes, information stores, and structural requirements of an artificial self-replicating system. Part 2 will cover physical considerations for implementing such a design, and Part 3 will cover speculative ideas for what the existence of self-replicative processes in nature indicates on the larger scale. 

While Part 1 and Part 2 of this paper contained an overview of the minimal technological requirements of self-replication and foundational technological implementation considerations, the existence of self-replication in nature comes as quite a surprise. Therefore, Part 3 will cover speculative ideas for what the existence of the self-replication process in nature indicates about the nature of reality. 

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