Threose nucleic acid (TNA) is a polymer similar to DNA or RNA but differing in the composition of its "backbone". TNA is not known to occur naturally.
DNA and RNA have a deoxyribose and ribose sugar backbone, respectively, whereas TNA's backbone is composed of repeating threose units linked by phosphodiester bonds. The threose molecule is easier to assemble than ribose making it a possible precursor to RNA.
DNA-TNA hybrid chains have been made in the laboratory using DNA polymerase.
TNA can specifically base pair with RNA and DNA; this capability and chemical simplicity suggests that TNA could have preceded RNA as genetic material.
See also
External links
References
- Watt, Gregory (February 2005). "Modified nucleic acids on display". Nature Chemical Biology. doi:. http://www.nature.com/nchembio/journal/vaop/nprelaunch/full/nchembio005.html.
- Schoning, K; Scholz P; Guntha S; Wu X; Krishnamurthy R; Eschenmoser A (November 2000). "Chemical etiology of nucleic acid structure: the alpha-threofuranosyl-(3'->2') oligonucleotide system.". Science 290: 1347. doi:. PMID 11082060.
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