[EN] Mutation rates vary by orders of magnitude across biological systems, being higher for simpler genomes. The simplest known genomes correspond to viroids, subviral plant replicons constituted by circular non-coding ...
FLORES PEDAUYE, RICARDO; Gago Zachert, Selma Persida; SERRA ALFONSO, PEDRO; Sanjuan Verdeguer, Rafael; ELENA FITO, SANTIAGO FCO(Annual Reviews, 2014)
[EN] Because RNA can be a carrier of genetic information and a biocatalyst, there
is a consensus that it emerged before DNA and proteins, which eventually
assumed these roles and relegated RNA to intermediate functions. ...