Non-equilibrium dynamics in nucleic acid sequence pools (A05)

• Subject Area: Biophysics
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 521256690

Under prebiotic conditions, nucleic acid polymerization, replication, and degradation processes will likely have resulted in pools of nucleic acids with varying sequences, and thus varying interactions. In this project, we will study the dynamics of such nucleic acid pools under non-equilibrium driving, in particular their phoretic movement within salt gradients. We surmise that the dynamics in such gradients has led to the preferential accumulation of certain nucleic acid sequences over others, resulting in a primitive physical selection mechanism.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 392: Molecular evolution in prebiotic environments
• Applicant Institution: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Friedrich Simmel, since 1/2024