Borate minerals and RNA stability

Abstract

The abiotic origin of genetic polymers faces two major problems: a prebiotically plausible polymn. mechanism and the maintenance of their polymd. state outside a cellular environment. The stabilizing action of borate on ribose having been reported, the authors have explored the possibility that borate minerals stabilize RNA. Borate itself does not stabilize RNA. The anal. of a large panel of minerals tested in various phys.-chem. conditions shows that in general no protection is exerted on the RNA backbone, with the interesting exception of ludwigite (Mg2Fe3+BO5). Stability is a fundamental property of nucleic polymers and borate is an abundant component of the planet, hence the prebiotic interest of this anal.