The RNA A-helix architects the evolution of the ribosome

The RNA A-helix architects the evolution of the ribosome | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article The RNA A-helix architects the evolution of the ribosome Chiaolong Hsiao, Yi-Shan Lan This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6948671/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The ribosome, biology’s universal translation machinery, marks a significant footprint in the origin of life. Among all rRNA motifs, the RNA A-helix emerges as the most extensive structural element of the ribosome. We hypothesize that the rRNA A-helix motif not only constructs the architectural foundation of the ribosome but also drives its evolution. The large subunit (LSU) ribosome across various species was utilized to study the spatial arrangements of the rRNA A-helices. Remarkably, it exhibits a prevalent spatial distribution of A-helices within the LSU concentrically confined by the bin. These helices are integral to the emergence of peptidyl transferase activity and the preservation of LSU architecture across evolutionary time. The LSU A-helices’ spatial configurations were computationally modeled, allowing us to delineate five evolutionary states of the ancestral LSU. Furthermore, our investigation into the origin of the ancestral mitochondrial LSU suggests an early evolutionary phase characterized by a non-traditional serial endosymbiotic theory (SET), followed by a sequential endosymbiotic theory (EST) event. Our findings underscore the critical role of the rRNA A-helix motif in maintaining the structural integrity of the ribosome and in guiding its evolutionary pathway. These insights provide a new perspective on the fundamental processes underlying the origins of life. Biological sciences/Evolution/Molecular evolution Biological sciences/Computational biology and bioinformatics Biological sciences/Evolution/Evolutionary theory Biological sciences/Genetics/Evolutionary biology ribosome RNA A-helix evolution large subunit ribosome architecture Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Tablesuppllan.pdf Supplementary material Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6948671","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":475126099,"identity":"e5e3d67f-1ef5-445a-9388-fde04d66493c","order_by":0,"name":"Chiaolong Hsiao","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA30lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACCcYGBoYCIIO9AcxnbCBOiwGQwXMArBpIMBPSAiJAWiQSiNTCP7u58cMHA5s8+ci3xx/zMNjIbjjAf0wCryV3DjZLzjBIKza8nZfYzMOQZrzhADMbXi0GEokN0jwGhxM3zs4xBGo5nAjScoOAlubfYC0zz4C0/CdKSxvYlvkSPCAtBwhrkbiR2GYJ9EviBp4cw5lzDJKNZx5mNv+BTwv/jPTHNz5U2CTObz9j8OFNhZ1s3/HGxwb4tCBceABMAjGhmIQD+QZiVY6CUTAKRsGIAwA2/Us5XslfOwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"National Taiwan University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chiaolong","middleName":"","lastName":"Hsiao","suffix":""},{"id":475126100,"identity":"e28c323c-22f9-4bc1-a1ce-b218c5932101","order_by":1,"name":"Yi-Shan Lan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"National Taiwan University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yi-Shan","middleName":"","lastName":"Lan","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-06-22 09:20:18","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6948671/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6948671/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":85309506,"identity":"67ebce0c-2ae4-48d8-be33-c3c8cea1b98b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-24 13:23:43","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1213308,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Article File","description":"","filename":"riboarchlan.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6948671/v1_covered_cc5406ec-9565-434b-ac2b-3ba4508bfe87.pdf"},{"id":85260773,"identity":"c4eeea0d-8e49-446e-9bc7-4dd66dec931e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-24 04:02:57","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":670720,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Supplementary material","description":"","filename":"Tablesuppllan.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6948671/v1/541e1ec33bb1a3c91ec6920b.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"The RNA A-helix architects the evolution of the ribosome","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"ribosome, RNA A-helix, evolution, large subunit, ribosome architecture","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6948671/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6948671/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"The ribosome, biology’s universal translation machinery, marks a significant footprint in the origin of life. 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