Emergence of replicable genetic molecules was one of the marking points in the origin of life. We will investigate RNA molecules, which are commonly assumed to play the pivotal role in the origin of…

This is a cooperative agreement awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to investigate the role of RNA molecules in the origin of genetic systems. The $499,153 contract, awarded on July 13, 2016, is part of NASA's Evolutionary Mechanisms of Simple Genomes program and has a period of performance through July 12, 2019. The research aims to address fundamental questions about the early evolution of genetic molecules, including the influence of genome size on evolutionary outcomes. This contract is not associated with a set-aside program. As a major research university, UCSF has a long history of partnering with federal agencies like NASA to conduct cutting-edge biomedical research and has been awarded numerous prime contracts and subcontracts to support the government's scientific and healthcare objectives.

Emergence of replicable genetic molecules was one of the marking points in the origin of life. We will investigate RNA molecules, which are commonly assumed to play the pivotal role in the origin of genetic systems. They are widely believed to be early, if not the rarliest, genetic and catalytic molecules. Our overarching goal is to discover how the structure of the genotypic space of these early polymers affected their ability to evolve, especially as a function of their length. To this end, we will address several fundamental questions that, so far, have remained largely unanswered. Was the genotypic space explored globally or only locally? Was the outcome of early evolution predictable or was IT, instead, governed by chance? What was the role of neutral mutations in the evolution of increasing complex systems? What evolutionary mechanisms might have led to the emergence of new functions? With a focus on the role of genome size in answering these questions, the results of the proposed study will yield sought after data that inform the ongoing debate centered on these questions.