A. Radakovic

RNA complexes with nicks and gaps: thermodynamic and kinetic effects of coaxial stacking and dangling ends

This paper investigates the thermodynamic and kinetic effects of coaxial stacking and dangling ends on RNA complex stability and binding kinetics.

Structure-guided aminoacylation and assembly of chimeric RNAs

The paper shows that specific RNA sequences can be nonenzymatically aminoacylated and ligated to form amino acid-bridged stem-loop RNAs, with structural and functional similarities to modern tRNA.

Direct monitoring of the thermodynamics and kinetics of DNA and RNA dinucleotide dehybridization from gaps and overhangs

This study measures the thermodynamics and kinetics of DNA and RNA dinucleotide dehybridization using infrared spectroscopy and simulations, revealing stabilization through stacking interactions and structural dynamics.

Non-enzymatic assembly of active chimeric ribozymes from aminoacylated RNA oligonucleotides

This study shows aminoacylated RNAs can assemble into active chimeric ribozymes, suggesting aminoacylation may have aided ribozyme formation before ribosomes evolved.

A Potential Role for Aminoacylation in Primordial RNA Copying Chemistry

This study investigates whether aminoacylation could have facilitated nonenzymatic RNA replication, finding that aminoacylated RNAs enable faster primer extension and ligation reactions under protocell-like conditions.

Prebiotically Plausible ‘Patching’ of RNA Backbone Cleavage Through a 3′-5′ Pyrophosphate Linkage

This study demonstrates that 3′-phosphate terminated RNA strands can participate in template-directed copying reactions to form stable pyrophosphate linkages, offering a non-enzymatic pathway for RNA strand recovery.