%0 Journal Article
%T The Evolutionary Transition of the RNA World to Obcells to Cellular-Based Life.
%A O'Connor PBF
%J J Mol Evol
%V 92
%N 3
%D 2024 Jun 29
%M 38683368
%F 3.973
%R 10.1007/s00239-024-10171-2
%X The obcell hypothesis is a proposed route for the RNA world to develop into a primitive cellular one. It posits that this transition began with the emergence of the proto-ribosome which enabled RNA to colonise the external surface of lipids by the synthesis of amphipathic peptidyl-RNAs. The obcell hypothesis also posits that the emergence of a predation-based ecosystem provided a selection mechanism for continued sophistication amongst early life forms. Here, I argue for this hypothesis owing to its significant explanatory power; it offers a rationale why a ribosome which initially was capable only of producing short non-coded peptides was advantageous and it forgoes issues related to maintaining a replicating RNA inside a lipid enclosure. I develop this model by proposing that the evolutionary selection for improved membrane anchors resulted in the emergence of primitive membrane pores which enabled obcells to gradually evolve into a cellular morphology. Moreover, I introduce a model of obcell production which advances that tRNAs developed from primers of the RNA world.