TY - JOUR AU - Koonin, Eugene V. AU - Krupovic, Mart AU - Ishino, Sonoko AU - Ishino, Yoshizumi PY - 2020 DA - 2020/06/09 TI - The replication machinery of LUCA: common origin of DNA replication and transcription JO - BMC Biology SP - 61 VL - 18 IS - 1 AB - Origin of DNA replication is an enigma because the replicative DNA polymerases (DNAPs) are not homologous among the three domains of life, Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. The homology between the archaeal replicative DNAP (PolD) and the large subunits of the universal RNA polymerase (RNAP) responsible for transcription suggests a parsimonious evolutionary scenario. Under this model, RNAPs and replicative DNAPs evolved from a common ancestor that functioned as an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase in the RNA-protein world that predated the advent of DNA replication. The replicative DNAP of the Last Universal Cellular Ancestor (LUCA) would be the ancestor of the archaeal PolD. SN - 1741-7007 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-020-00800-9 DO - 10.1186/s12915-020-00800-9 ID - Koonin2020 ER -