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NASA NTRS · 20040172976

Continuous in vitro evolution of catalytic function

Wright, M. C.·Joyce, G. F.
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Abstract

A population of RNA molecules that catalyze the template-directed ligation of RNA substrates was made to evolve in a continuous manner in the test tube. A simple serial transfer procedure was used to achieve approximately 300 successive rounds of catalysis and selective amplification in 52 hours. During this time, the population size was maintained against an overall dilution of 3 x 10(298). Both the catalytic rate and amplification rate of the RNAs improved substantially as a consequence of mutations that accumulated during the evolution process. Continuous in vitro evolution makes it possible to maintain laboratory "cultures" of catalytic molecules that can be perpetuated indefinitely.

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Non-NASA CenterNASA Program NSCORTNASA Discipline Number 52-20NASA Discipline Number 93-10NASA Discipline ExobiologyNASA Program ExobiologyRNA, Catalytic/chemistry/genetics/metabolismDirected Molecular EvolutionSupport, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.STranscription, GeneticMutationSaccharomyces cerevisiae/chemistryPromoter Regions (Genetics)CatalysisNucleic Acid ConformationTemplates, GeneticMolecular Sequence DataBase SequenceEvolution, MolecularDNA-Directed RNA Polymerases/genetics/metabolism

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Wright, M. C., Joyce, G. F.. 1997-04-25. Continuous in vitro evolution of catalytic function. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20040172976

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