Polysaccharides as initiators of nucleic acid polymerization

Abstract

Quantum-chemical calculations and in vitro experiments have demonstrated that polysaccharides are able to adsorb mononucleotides due to the formation of hydrogen bonds. The subsequent dehydration of polysaccharide-nucleotide complexes in the physiologically acceptable temperature range results in the creation of “correct” DNA polymers that are “recognized” by the specific DNA-polymerases. DNA fragments abiogenically formed on polysaccharides vary in size and are characterized by a relatively “simple”, most probably, tandem structure. This research developed our previous concept of template-based polysaccharide synthesis with the participation of DNA tandem repeats (glycotranscription concept) making it possible to assume the existence of reverse glycotranscription in biological systems. Future research in the direction that we outlined experimentally may lead to a revolutionary approach in modern molecular biology—glycogenomics.