Phosphoribosylphosphate and phosphoribosylnicotinate pairing with phosphoribosylamine at the origin of the RNA world

•Pre-ribonucleotides are expected to account for the constraints of self-catalytic synthesis of the initial molecular building blocks.•Phosphoribosyl-phosphate and phosphoribosylamine form the earliest pre-ribonucleotide pair.•Phosphoribosyl-aspartate and phosphoribosyl-nicotinate play a central role for reduced carbon chemistry of ribose synthesis.•Phosphoribosyl-nicotinate represents the earliest heterocyclic nucleotide.

The gap between prebiotic chemistry and the RNA origin of life lies in the nature of the pre-ribonucleotides that initiated replication-like activity. The present paper illustrates how the constraints for self-catalytic synthesis of the building blocks point to ionic pairing of the first pre-ribonucleotides and point to a central role for nicotinate.

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