Powner Lab

2024

On the aqueous origins of the condensation polymers of life Whitaker, D. & Powner, M. W. Nature Reviews Chemistry

Spontaneous Peptide Ligation Mediated by Cysteamine Barat, A. & Powner, M. W. JACS Au

Prebiotically Plausible Chemoselective Pantetheine Synthesis in Water Fairchild, J.; Islam, S.; Singh, J.; Bučar, D. K.; Powner, M. W. Synform

Prebiotically plausible chemoselective pantetheine synthesis in water Fairchild, J.; Islam, S.; Singh, J.; Bučar, D. K.; Powner, M. W. Science

2023

Nucleotide Photochemistry on the Early Earth Whitaker, D.E.; Colville, B.W.F.; Powner, M. W. Conflicting Models for the Origin of Life

Selective Synthesis of Lysine Peptides and the Prebiotically Plausible Synthesis of Catalytically Active Diaminopropionic Acid Peptide Nitriles in Water Thoma, B.; Powner, M. W. Journal of the American Chemical Society

2022

Prebiotic triose glycolysis promoted by co-catalytic proline and phosphate in neutral water Magalhães, Á. F.; Powner, M. W. Chemical Communications

Photochemistry of 2-thiooxazole: a plausible prebiotic precursor to RNA nucleotides Bertram, L.; Roberts, S. J.; Powner, M. W.; Szabla, R. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics

Prebiotic synthesis and triphosphorylation of 3′-amino-TNA nucleosides Whitaker, D.; Powner, M. W., Nature Chemistry

Prebiotic Catalytic Peptide Ligation Yields Proteinogenic Peptides by Intramolecular Amide Catalyzed Hydrolysis Facilitating Regioselective Lysine Ligation in Neutral Water Singh, J.; Whitaker, D.; Thoma, B.; Islam, S.; Foden, C. S.; Aliev, A. E.; Sheppard, T. D.; Powner, M. W., Journal of the American Chemical Society

2021

Selective Prebiotic Synthesis of α‐Threofuranosyl Cytidine by Photochemical Anomerization. Colville, W. F. B. and Powner, M. Angewandte Chemie International Edition

2020

Prebiotic Synthesis of Cysteine Peptides That Catalyze Peptide Ligation in Neutral Water. Foden, C.; Islam, S.; Garcia, C. A. F.; Maugeri, L.; Sheppard, T.; and Powner, M. Science

2019

Analyses of Aliphatic Aldehydes and Ketones in Carbonaceous Chondrites. Aponte, J. C.; Whitaker, D.; Powner, M. W.; Elsila, J. E.; and Dworkin, J. P. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry

Selective prebiotic synthesis of phosphoroaminonitriles and aminothioamides in neutral water. Ashe, K.; Fernández-García, C.; Corpinot, M. K.; Coggins, A. J.; Bučar, D. K.; and Powner, M. W. Communications Chemistry

Heated gas bubbles enrich, crystallize, dry, phosphorylate and encapsulate prebiotic molecules. Morasch, M.; Liu, J.; Dirscherl, C. F.; Ianeselli, A.; Kühnlein, A.; Le Vay, K.; Schwintek, P.; Islam, S.; Corpinot, M. K.; Scheu, B.; Dingwell, D. B.; Schwille, P.; Mutschler, H.; Powner, M. W.; Mast, C. B.; and Braun, D. Nature Chemistry

Peptide ligation by chemoselective aminonitrile coupling in water. Canavelli, P.; Islam, S.; and Powner, M. W. Nature

2018

Protocells realize their potential. Islam, S.; and Powner, M. W. Nature Catalysis

Photostability of oxazoline RNA-precursors in UV-rich prebiotic environments. Janicki, M. J.; Roberts, S. J.; Šponer, J.; Powner, M. W.; Góra, R. W.; and Szabla, R. Chemical Communications

Selective aqueous acetylation controls the photoanomerization of α-cytidine-5′-phosphate. Fernández-García, C.; Grefenstette, N. M.; and Powner, M. W. Chemical Communications

Selective prebiotic conversion of pyrimidine and purine anhydronucleosides into Watson-Crick base-pairing arabino-furanosyl nucleosides in water. Roberts, S. J.; Szabla, R.; Todd, Z. R.; Stairs, S.; Bučar, D. K.; Šponer, J.; Sasselov, D. D.; and Powner, M. W. Nature Communications

Prebiotic nucleic acids need space to grow. Whitaker, D.; and Powner, M. W. Nature Communications

2017

Prebiotic Systems Chemistry: Complexity Overcoming Clutter. Islam, S.; and Powner, M. W. Chem

Prebiotic synthesis of aminooxazoline-5′-phosphates in water by oxidative phosphorylation. Fernández-García, C.; Grefenstette N. M. and Powner, M. W. Chemical Communications

Scalable Synthesis of 2,2′-Anhydro-arabinofuranosyl Imidazoles. Stairs, S.; and Powner, M. W. Synlett

Prebiotic selection and assembly of proteinogenic amino acids and natural nucleotides from complex mixtures. Islam, S.; Bučar, D. K.; and Powner, M. W. Nature Chemistry

Selective Acylation of Nucleosides, Nucleotides, and Glycerol-3-phosphocholine in Water. Fernández-García, C.; and Powner, M. W. Synlett

Divergent prebiotic synthesis of pyrimidine and 8-oxo-purine ribonucleotides. Stairs, S.; Nikmal, A.; Bǔar, D. K.; Zheng, S. L.; Szostak, J. W.; and Powner, M. W. Nature Communications

A chemist's perspective on the role of phosphorus at the origins of life. Fernández-García, C.; Coggins, A. J.; and Powner, M. W. Life

2016

Prebiotic synthesis of phosphoenol pyruvate by α-phosphorylation-controlled triose glycolysis. Coggins, A. J.; and Powner, M. W. Nature Chemistry

2015

One-step protecting-group-free synthesis of azepinomycin in water. Coggins, A. J.; Tocher, D. A.; and Powner, M. W. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry

2013

Detection of potential TNA and RNA nucleoside precursors in a prebiotic mixture by pure shift diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy. Islam, S.; Aguilar, J. A.; Powner, M. W.; Nilsson, M.; Morris, G. A.; and Sutherland, J. D. Chemistry - A European Journal

Prebiotically plausible oligoribonucleotide ligation facilitated by chemoselective acetylation. Bowler, F. R.; Chan, C. K.; Duffy, C. D.; Gerland, B.; Islam, S.; Powner, M. W.; Sutherland, J. D.; and Xu, J. Nature Chemistry

Functional RNAs exhibit tolerance for non-heritable 2′-5′ versus 3′-5′ backbone heterogeneity. Engelhart, A. E.; Powner, M. W.; and Szostak, J. W. Nature Chemistry

2012

Multicomponent assembly of proposed DNA precursors in water. Powner, M. W.; Zheng, S. L.; and Szostak, J. W. Journal of the American Chemical Society

2011

Prebiotic chemistry: A new modus operandi. Powner, M. W.; and Sutherland, J. D. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

The origins of nucleotides. Powner, M. W.; Sutherland, J. D.; and Szostak, J. W. Synlett

2010

Phosphate-mediated interconversion of Ribo- and Arabino-configured prebiotic nucleotide intermediates. Powner, M. W.; and Sutherland, J. D. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition

Chemoselective multicomponent one-pot assembly of purine precursors in water. Powner, M. W.; Sutherland, J. D.; and Szostak, J. W. Journal of the American Chemical Society

A stereoelectronic effect in prebiotic nucleotide synthesis. Choudhary, A.; Kamer, K. J.; Powner, M. W.; Sutherland, J. D.; and Raines, R. T. ACS Chemical Biology

2009

Synthesis of activated pyrimidine ribonucleotides in prebiotically plausible conditions. Powner, M. W.; Gerland, B.; and Sutherland, J. D. Nature

2008

Potentially prebiotic synthesis of pyrimidine β-D-ribonucleotides by photoanomerization/hydrolysis of α-D-cytidine-2′-phosphate. Powner, M. W.; and Sutherland, J. D. ChemBioChem

2007

RNA: Prebiotic product, or biotic invention? Anastasi, C.; Buchet, F. F.; Crowe, M. A.; Parkes, A. L.; Powner, M. W.; Smith, J. M.; and Sutherland, J. D. Chemistry & Biodiversity

On the prebiotic synthesis of ribonucleotides: Photoanomerisation of cytosine nucleosides and nucleotides revisited. Powner, M. W.; Anastasi, C.; Crowe, M. A.; Parkes, A. L.; Raftery, J.; and Sutherland, J. D. ChemBioChem

2006

Direct Assembly of Nucleoside Precursors from Two- and Three-Carbon Units. Anastasi, C.; Crowe, M. A.; Powner, M. W.; and Sutherland, J. D. Angewandte Chemie