Pseudo-Replication of [GADV]-Proteins and Origin of Life

• Main Author: Kenji Ikehara
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2009-04-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: GADV hypothesis; pseudo-replication; [GADV]-protein world; origin of life
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/10/4/1525/

The RNA world hypothesis on the origin of life is generally considered as the key to solve the “chicken and egg dilemma” concerning the evolution of genes and proteins as observed in the modern organisms. This hypothesis, however, contains several serious weak points. We have a counterproposal called [GADV]-protein world hypothesis, abbreviated as GADV hypothesis, in which we have suggested that life originated from a [GADV]-protein world, which comprised proteins composed of four amino acids: Gly [G], Ala [A], Asp [D], and Val [V]. A new concept “pseudo-replication” is crucial for the description of the emergence of life. The new hypothesis not only plausibly explains how life originated from the initial chaotic protein world, but also how genes, genetic code, and proteins co-evolved.