First Advisor

Dirk Iwata-Reuyl

Term of Graduation

Winter 2022

Date of Publication

3-3-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.) in Chemistry

Department

Chemistry

Language

English

Subjects

Catalytic RNA, Aerosol propellants, Life -- Origin, Self-assembly (Chemistry)

DOI

10.15760/etd.7804

Physical Description

1 online resource (v, 45 pages)

Abstract

Recent theoretical and experimental work suggests that aqueous aerosols in the early Earth's atmosphere might have been an essential component to the development of life. These complex droplets would have served to compartmentalize emerging biomolecules, thereby concentrating them, increasing reactivity, and facilitating transport and exchange between ocean and atmosphere. This project tests an underexplored but potentially important environmental paradigm for the RNA world hypothesis of prebiotic evolution, probing the effects of aerosolization on catalytic RNA using a model ribozyme. Here we demonstrate the successful transport and in situ self-assembly of the Azoarcus ribozyme from multiple independent fragments via a laboratory-constructed aerosolization system.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/37416

Included in

Biochemistry Commons

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