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RNA + peptide editing in chemosensory proteins (CSPs), a new theory for the origin of life on Earth’s crust
  • Jean-François Picimbon
Jean-François Picimbon
Shandong Academy of Sciences

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

“RNA + peptide editing are two successive independent mechanisms required to generate a plethora of new functional isoforms in a wide range of binding protein families”. I discuss the characteristics of ‘Chemosensory Proteins’ CSPs in insects and their potential role in life origins and evolution, review diversity of CSP proteins, and present a fresh view on the molecular evolution and origins of life. I specifically address the relationship between the observed mutations in insect CSPs and the origin of life. The group in Jinan discovered a high level of pinpoint mutations on the RNA and peptide sequences of Bombyx mori chemosensory proteins (BmorCSPs) and odor-binding proteins (BmorOBPs). A new phylogenetic analysis of peptide mutations is presented, adding to the pioneering work, which discovered that binding protein mutations might have spread from bacteria to moths and other insect groups. Then, emphasis is placed on specific mechanisms of non-random mutations that alter α-helical profiling and introduce new functions at the protein level. I describe observed BmorCSP mutations in several insect species that occur through various mechanisms such as RNA editing and/or protein recoding in the ribosome, and I propose that such mechanisms may have played a role in the emergence and evolution of life on Earth’s crust. RNA + Peptide lays the groundwork for the proposed RNA Peptide World theory of life’s origin and evolution on Earth’s crust, which is stated further below.