Adenine-copper coordination polymer as an oxidative nucleozyme: implications for simple prebiotic catalytic units

Abstract

Plasmid modification activity of a modified adenine-copper coordination polymer, in the presence of peracids and thiols, and ensuing preliminary mechanistic investigations are reported. These observations, when coupled with unique coordination pattern of the metal complex, have led us to propose that a synergistic interaction between nucleobases and metal ions may be responsible for primordial catalysis of certain key reactions of biochemical significance and could serve the function of a prototypical, prebiotic nucleozyme.