J. Visscher et al., IS LIGATION THE ONLY SOLUTION TO THE PYROPHOSPHATE PROBLEM, Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere, 23(5-6), 1993, pp. 317-321
Pyrophosphate linkages are easily formed during the nonenzymatic oligo
merization of activated nucleotides. They often form 'caps' which term
inate an oligonucleotide with a 5'-5' pyrophosphate. Owing to their st
ructural resemblance to the intermediates in enzymatic ligation reacti
ons, it has been suggested that pyrophosphate caps might have been cap
able of acting as activating groups in chain elongation processes. We
argue that an alternative possibility would have been the specific hyd
rolysis of pyrophosphates.