What came first? The DNA or the DNA polymerases?

Question

I know this sounds a lot like chicken and egg question and while the latter has an answer, I am intrigued about the former.A modified form of the question would be, in the course of abiogenesis, what formed first? The DNA or the proteins (hence enzymes and DNA polymerases)? The principle behind it is that the DNA needs an enzyme to replicate.(DNA pol)But DNA pol itself, being a protein, needs a DNA pol A/B/C gene on the DNA! (Transcription and translation) Not to mention all the other proteins required for transcription and translation. Same is the case for RNA and RNA pol. If the DNA/RNA formed first, how did it replicate without a protein? If Protein formed first, then how did it came to existence without DNA/RNA? Let's make a big assumption and say that nucleic acid formed for the first time and replicated without proteins. Is it possible for nucleic acids replicate without proteins? For example, a abiogenetically formed DNA sequence just randomly attracted its complementary strand and whatever could fit, fitted and somehow the phosphodiester bonds were sealed sans proteins. That sounds too implausible.Would love if somebody provides sources with evidences of DNA/protein abiotically forming de novo sans enzymes, genes.

Answer 1

This is a complicated question, and no one knows for sure how abiogenesis actually occurred (even though there are some great theories out there).

I encourage you to read about the RNA World Hypothesis! This is a pretty popular scientific hypothesis that explains how life may have gotten started. To put it simply, it suggests that organic compounds, over a long period of time, underwent many chemical reactions to form RNA. Furthermore, these primitive RNA compounds had the ability to self-catalyze, to form more of the same molecule. This is actually pretty plausible, because we have observed catalytic RNA molecules today, called ribozymes. I suppose you could then postulate that this eventually led to molecular evolution and the formation of DNA, and then ultimately proteins. Here is a website I found about the RNA World Hypothesis on Google: http://exploringorigins.org/ribozymes.html