101
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Large enantiomeric excesses in primitive meteorites and the diverse effects of water in cosmochemical evolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:11949-54. [PMID: 22778439 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1204865109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbonaceous chondrites are meteoritic fragments of asteroids that avoided the geological reprocessing of larger planets and allow laboratory probing of early solar-nebula materials. Among these, Renazzo-type (CR) chondrites found in Antarctica appear remarkably pristine and are distinguished by abundant organic materials and water-soluble molecules such as amino acids and ammonia. We present a comprehensive analysis of the organic composition of selected CR meteorites of different petrographic classification and compare compounds' abundance and distribution as they may relate to asteroidal aqueous processing and concomitant evolution of the mineral phases. We found that several CR compounds such as amino acids and sugar alcohols are fully represented in stones with no or minimal water exposure indicating a formation that, if solar, preceded parent body processes. The most pristine CRs also revealed natal enantiomeric excesses (ee) of up to 60%, much larger than ever recorded. However, aqueous alteration appears to affect CR soluble organic composition and abundances, in particular some diastereomeric amino acids may gauge its extent by the consequent racemization of their ee.
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102
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Cleaves HJ, Michalkova Scott A, Hill FC, Leszczynski J, Sahai N, Hazen R. Mineral-organic interfacial processes: potential roles in the origins of life. Chem Soc Rev 2012; 41:5502-25. [PMID: 22743683 DOI: 10.1039/c2cs35112a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Life is believed to have originated on Earth ∼4.4-3.5 Ga ago, via processes in which organic compounds supplied by the environment self-organized, in some geochemical environmental niches, into systems capable of replication with hereditary mutation. This process is generally supposed to have occurred in an aqueous environment and, likely, in the presence of minerals. Mineral surfaces present rich opportunities for heterogeneous catalysis and concentration which may have significantly altered and directed the process of prebiotic organic complexification leading to life. We review here general concepts in prebiotic mineral-organic interfacial processes, as well as recent advances in the study of mineral surface-organic interactions of potential relevance to understanding the origin of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- H James Cleaves
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Washington, DC 20016, USA
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103
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Burton AS, Stern JC, Elsila JE, Glavin DP, Dworkin JP. Understanding prebiotic chemistry through the analysis of extraterrestrial amino acids and nucleobases in meteorites. Chem Soc Rev 2012; 41:5459-72. [PMID: 22706603 DOI: 10.1039/c2cs35109a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 174] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The discoveries of amino acids of extraterrestrial origin in many meteorites over the last 50 years have revolutionized the Astrobiology field. A variety of non-terrestrial amino acids similar to those found in life on Earth have been detected in meteorites. A few amino acids have even been found with chiral excesses, suggesting that meteorites could have contributed to the origin of homochirality in life on Earth. In addition to amino acids, which have been productively studied for years, sugar-like molecules, activated phosphates, and nucleobases have also been determined to be indigenous to numerous meteorites. Because these molecules are essential for life as we know it, and meteorites have been delivering them to the Earth since accretion, it is plausible that the origin(s) of life on Earth were aided by extraterrestrially-synthesized molecules. Understanding the origins of life on Earth guides our search for life elsewhere, helping to answer the question of whether biology is unique to Earth. This tutorial review focuses on meteoritic amino acids and nucleobases, exploring modern analytical methods and possible formation mechanisms. We will also discuss the unique window that meteorites provide into the chemistry that preceded life on Earth, a chemical record we do not have access to on Earth due to geologic recycling of rocks and the pervasiveness of biology across the planet. Finally, we will address the future of meteorite research, including asteroid sample return missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron S Burton
- Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
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104
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Cintas P, Viedma C. On the physical basis of asymmetry and homochirality. Chirality 2012; 24:894-908. [PMID: 22678980 DOI: 10.1002/chir.22028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2011] [Accepted: 02/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Mirror symmetry breaking is ubiquitous in our visible universe taking place in elementary particles, atoms, and molecules. Molecular chirality is not biogenic in itself, although its detection is often considered a biosignature, a conjecture inferred from the fact that we do not know life devoid of homochirality. The question of whether there is a connection between the cosmic preference for one enantiomer, as imposed by the weak force, and the single chirality displayed on Earth is vividly debated. This article gives a glimpse on the origin of asymmetry from a cosmological perspective and on physical transformations that lead to an enantiomeric imbalance, leaving chemical reactions essentially aside. These processes are more plausible as sources of prebiotic chirality than asymmetric amplifications requiring unnatural substrates and conditions and fighting against racemization. The latter may actually be a friend, not foe, and a driving force for enantioselection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Cintas
- Departamento de Química Orgánica e Inorgánica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain.
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105
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Schumann D, Hartman H, Eberl DD, Sears SK, Hesse R, Vali H. Formation of replicating saponite from a gel in the presence of oxalate: implications for the formation of clay minerals in carbonaceous chondrites and the origin of life. ASTROBIOLOGY 2012; 12:549-561. [PMID: 22794298 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2011.0635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The potential role of clay minerals in the abiotic origin of life has been the subject of ongoing debate for the past several decades. At issue are the clay minerals found in a class of meteorites known as carbonaceous chondrites. These clay minerals are the product of aqueous alteration of anhydrous mineral phases, such as olivine and orthopyroxene, that are often present in the chondrules. Moreover, there is a strong correlation in the occurrence of clay minerals and the presence of polar organic molecules. It has been shown in laboratory experiments at low temperature and ambient pressure that polar organic molecules, such as the oxalate found in meteorites, can catalyze the crystallization of clay minerals. In this study, we show that oxalate is a robust catalyst in the crystallization of saponite, an Al- and Mg-rich, trioctahedral 2:1 layer silicate, from a silicate gel at 60°C and ambient pressure. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis of the saponite treated with octadecylammonium (n(C)=18) cations revealed the presence of 2:1 layer structures that have variable interlayer charge. The crystallization of these differently charged 2:1 layer silicates most likely occurred independently. The fact that 2:1 layer silicates with variable charge formed in the same gel has implications for our understanding of the origin of life, as these 2:1 clay minerals most likely replicate by a mechanism of template-catalyzed polymerization and transmit the charge distribution from layer to layer. If polar organic molecules like oxalate can catalyze the formation of clay-mineral crystals, which in turn promote clay microenvironments and provide abundant adsorption sites for other organic molecules present in solution, the interaction among these adsorbed molecules could lead to the polymerization of more complex organic molecules like RNA from nucleotides on early Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Schumann
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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106
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Evans AC, Meinert C, Giri C, Goesmann F, Meierhenrich UJ. Chirality, photochemistry and the detection of amino acids in interstellar ice analogues and comets. Chem Soc Rev 2012; 41:5447-58. [PMID: 22576562 DOI: 10.1039/c2cs35051c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The primordial appearance of chiral amino acids was an essential component of the asymmetric evolution of life on Earth. In this tutorial review we will explore the original life-generating, symmetry-breaking event and summarise recent thoughts on the origin of enantiomeric excess in the universe. We will then highlight the transfer of asymmetry from chiral photons to racemic amino acids and elucidate current experimental data on the photochemical synthesis of amino and diamino acid structures in simulated interstellar and circumstellar ice environments. The chirality inherent within actual interstellar (cometary) ice environments will be considered in this discussion: in 2014 the Rosetta Lander Philae onboard the Rosetta space probe is planned to detach from the orbiter and soft-land on the surface of the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It is equipped for the in situ enantioselective analysis of chiral prebiotic organic species in cometary ices. The scientific design of this mission will therefore be presented in the context of analysing the formation of amino acid structures within interstellar ice analogues as a means towards furthering understanding of the origin of asymmetric biological molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda C Evans
- University of Cambridge, Murray Edwards College, Cambridge CB3 0DF, UK.
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107
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Abstract
The general notion of an "RNA World" is that, in the early development of life on the Earth, genetic continuity was assured by the replication of RNA and genetically encoded proteins were not involved as catalysts. There is now strong evidence indicating that an RNA World did indeed exist before DNA- and protein-based life. However, arguments regarding whether life on Earth began with RNA are more tenuous. It might be imagined that all of the components of RNA were available in some prebiotic pool, and that these components assembled into replicating, evolving polynucleotides without the prior existence of any evolved macromolecules. A thorough consideration of this "RNA-first" view of the origin of life must reconcile concerns regarding the intractable mixtures that are obtained in experiments designed to simulate the chemistry of the primitive Earth. Perhaps these concerns will eventually be resolved, and recent experimental findings provide some reason for optimism. However, the problem of the origin of the RNA World is far from being solved, and it is fruitful to consider the alternative possibility that RNA was preceded by some other replicating, evolving molecule, just as DNA and proteins were preceded by RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Robertson
- Departments of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
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108
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Meinert C, Bredehöft JH, Filippi JJ, Baraud Y, Nahon L, Wien F, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Meierhenrich UJ. Anisotropy Spectra of Amino Acids. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2012; 51:4484-7. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201108997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2011] [Revised: 01/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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109
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Meinert C, Bredehöft JH, Filippi JJ, Baraud Y, Nahon L, Wien F, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Meierhenrich UJ. Anisotropiespektren von Aminosäuren. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2012. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201108997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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110
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Meinert C, Filippi JJ, de Marcellus P, Le Sergeant d'Hendecourt L, Meierhenrich UJ. N-(2-Aminoethyl)glycine and Amino Acids from Interstellar Ice Analogues. Chempluschem 2012. [DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201100048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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111
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Sarker PK, Takahashi JI, Kawamoto Y, Obayashi Y, Kaneko T, Kobayashi K. Photostability of Iiovaline and its precursor 5-Ethyl-5- methylhydantoin exposed to simulated space radiations. Int J Mol Sci 2012; 13:1006-1017. [PMID: 22312300 PMCID: PMC3269734 DOI: 10.3390/ijms13011006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2011] [Revised: 01/04/2012] [Accepted: 01/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Aqueous solutions of isovaline and its precursor molecule, 5-ethyl-5-methylhydantoin, were irradiated with ultraviolet and γ-ray photons, to evaluate their structural stability against space radiation. The degree of photolysis was measured and irradiation products were identified using chiral, reversed-phase and ion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography. The experimental results show that the degree of photolysis of 5-ethyl-5-methylhydantoin is more significant than that of isovaline under ultraviolet light irradiation, while the results under γ-ray irradiation are the opposite. As the products of isovaline photolysis, aspartic acid, serine, glutamic acid and alanine were dominantly detected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Palash K. Sarker
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan; E-Mails: (Y.K.); (Y.O.); (T.K.); (K.K.)
| | - Jun-ichi Takahashi
- NTT Microsystem Integration Laboratories, 3-1 Morinosato Wakamiya, Atsugi 243-0198, Japan; E-Mail:
| | - Yukinori Kawamoto
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan; E-Mails: (Y.K.); (Y.O.); (T.K.); (K.K.)
| | - Yumiko Obayashi
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan; E-Mails: (Y.K.); (Y.O.); (T.K.); (K.K.)
| | - Takeo Kaneko
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan; E-Mails: (Y.K.); (Y.O.); (T.K.); (K.K.)
| | - Kensei Kobayashi
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan; E-Mails: (Y.K.); (Y.O.); (T.K.); (K.K.)
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112
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Giri C, Goesmann F, Meinert C, Evans AC, Meierhenrich UJ. Synthesis and Chirality of Amino Acids Under Interstellar Conditions. BIOCHIRALITY 2012; 333:41-82. [DOI: 10.1007/128_2012_367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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113
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Pilling S, Baptista L, Boechat-Roberty HM, Andrade DPP. Formation routes of interstellar glycine involving carboxylic acids: possible favoritism between gas and solid phase. ASTROBIOLOGY 2011; 11:883-893. [PMID: 22066498 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2011.0650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Despite the extensive search for glycine (NH₂CH₂COOH) and other amino acids in molecular clouds associated with star-forming regions, only upper limits have been derived from radio observations. Nevertheless, two of glycine's precursors, formic acid and acetic acid, have been abundantly detected. Although both precursors may lead to glycine formation, the efficiency of reaction depends on their abundance and survival in the presence of a radiation field. These facts could promote some favoritism in the reaction pathways in the gas phase and solid phase (ice). Glycine and these two simplest carboxylic acids are found in many meteorites. Recently, glycine was also observed in cometary samples returned by the Stardust space probe. The goal of this work was to perform theoretical calculations for several interstellar reactions involving the simplest carboxylic acids as well as the carboxyl radical (COOH) in both gas and solid (ice) phase to understand which reactions could be the most favorable to produce glycine in interstellar regions fully illuminated by soft X-rays and UV, such as star-forming regions. The calculations were performed at four different levels for the gas phase (B3LYP/6-31G*, B3LYP/6-31++G**, MP2/6-31G*, and MP2/6-31++G**) and at MP2/6-31++G** level for the solid phase (ice). The current two-body reactions (thermochemical calculation) were combined with previous experimental data on the photodissociation of carboxylic acids to promote possible favoritism for glycine formation in the scenario involving formic and acetic acid in both gas and solid phase. Given that formic acid is destroyed more in the gas phase by soft X-rays than acetic acid is, we suggest that in the gas phase the most favorable reactions are acetic acid with NH or NH₂OH. Another possible reaction involves NH₂CH₂ and COOH, one of the most-produced radicals from the photodissociation of acetic acid. In the solid phase, we suggest that the reactions of formic acid with NH₂CH or NH₂CH₂OH are the most favorable from the thermochemical point of view.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Pilling
- Universidade do Vale do Paraíba, Instituto de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Urbanova, São José dos Campos, Brazil.
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114
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Thiemann WHP. Non-racemic amino acid production by ultraviolet irradiation of achiral interstellar ice analogs with circularly polarized light: comment on "Photochirogenesis: photochemical models on the absolute asymmetric formation of amino acids in interstellar space" by Uwe J. Meierhenrich et al. Phys Life Rev 2011; 8:333-338. [PMID: 21907648 DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/727/2/l27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2011] [Accepted: 08/26/2011] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Wolfram H-P Thiemann
- FB 02 Dept. Physical Chemistry, University Bremen, Leobener Str. D 28259 Bremen, Germany.
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115
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Meinert C, de Marcellus P, d'Hendecourt LLS, Nahon L, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Bredehöft JH, Meierhenrich UJ. Photochirogenesis: photochemical models on the absolute asymmetric formation of amino acids in interstellar space. Phys Life Rev 2011; 8:307-30. [PMID: 21924690 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2011.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2011] [Accepted: 08/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Proteins of all living organisms including plants, animals, and humans are made up of amino acid monomers that show identical stereochemical L-configuration. Hypotheses for the origin of this symmetry breaking in biomolecules include the absolute asymmetric photochemistry model by which interstellar ultraviolet (UV) circularly polarized light (CPL) induces an enantiomeric excess in chiral organic molecules in the interstellar/circumstellar media. This scenario is supported by a) the detection of amino acids in the organic residues of UV-photo-processed interstellar ice analogues, b) the occurrence of L-enantiomer-enriched amino acids in carbonaceous meteorites, and c) the observation of CPL of the same helicity over large distance scales in the massive star-forming region of Orion. These topics are of high importance in topical biophysical research and will be discussed in this review. Further evidence that amino acids and other molecules of prebiotic interest are asymmetrically formed in space comes from studies on the enantioselective photolysis of amino acids by UV-CPL. Also, experiments have been performed on the absolute asymmetric photochemical synthesis of enantiomer-enriched amino acids from mixtures of astrophysically relevant achiral precursor molecules using UV-circularly polarized photons. Both approaches are based on circular dichroic transitions of amino acids that will be highlighted here as well. These results have strong implications on our current understanding of how life's precursor molecules were possibly built and how life selected the left-handed form of proteinogenic amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia Meinert
- Faculté des Sciences, UMR 6001 CNRS, LCMBA, University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis, 28 Avenue Valrose, 06108 Nice, France.
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116
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Carbonaceous meteorites contain a wide range of extraterrestrial nucleobases. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:13995-8. [PMID: 21836052 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1106493108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 269] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
All terrestrial organisms depend on nucleic acids (RNA and DNA), which use pyrimidine and purine nucleobases to encode genetic information. Carbon-rich meteorites may have been important sources of organic compounds required for the emergence of life on the early Earth; however, the origin and formation of nucleobases in meteorites has been debated for over 50 y. So far, the few nucleobases reported in meteorites are biologically common and lacked the structural diversity typical of other indigenous meteoritic organics. Here, we investigated the abundance and distribution of nucleobases and nucleobase analogs in formic acid extracts of 12 different meteorites by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The Murchison and Lonewolf Nunataks 94102 meteorites contained a diverse suite of nucleobases, which included three unusual and terrestrially rare nucleobase analogs: purine, 2,6-diaminopurine, and 6,8-diaminopurine. In a parallel experiment, we found an identical suite of nucleobases and nucleobase analogs generated in reactions of ammonium cyanide. Additionally, these nucleobase analogs were not detected above our parts-per-billion detection limits in any of the procedural blanks, control samples, a terrestrial soil sample, and an Antarctic ice sample. Our results demonstrate that the purines detected in meteorites are consistent with products of ammonium cyanide chemistry, which provides a plausible mechanism for their synthesis in the asteroid parent bodies, and strongly supports an extraterrestrial origin. The discovery of new nucleobase analogs in meteorites also expands the prebiotic molecular inventory available for constructing the first genetic molecules.
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117
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Hein JE, Tse E, Blackmond DG. A route to enantiopure RNA precursors from nearly racemic starting materials. Nat Chem 2011; 3:704-6. [DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2011] [Accepted: 07/01/2011] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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118
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Herd CDK, Blinova A, Simkus DN, Huang Y, Tarozo R, Alexander CMO, Gyngard F, Nittler LR, Cody GD, Fogel ML, Kebukawa Y, Kilcoyne ALD, Hilts RW, Slater GF, Glavin DP, Dworkin JP, Callahan MP, Elsila JE, De Gregorio BT, Stroud RM. Origin and evolution of prebiotic organic matter as inferred from the Tagish Lake meteorite. Science 2011; 332:1304-7. [PMID: 21659601 DOI: 10.1126/science.1203290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The complex suite of organic materials in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites probably originally formed in the interstellar medium and/or the solar protoplanetary disk, but was subsequently modified in the meteorites' asteroidal parent bodies. The mechanisms of formation and modification are still very poorly understood. We carried out a systematic study of variations in the mineralogy, petrology, and soluble and insoluble organic matter in distinct fragments of the Tagish Lake meteorite. The variations correlate with indicators of parent body aqueous alteration. At least some molecules of prebiotic importance formed during the alteration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D K Herd
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada.
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119
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Parker ET, Cleaves HJ, Callahan MP, Dworkin JP, Glavin DP, Lazcano A, Bada JL. Prebiotic synthesis of methionine and other sulfur-containing organic compounds on the primitive Earth: a contemporary reassessment based on an unpublished 1958 Stanley Miller experiment. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2011; 41:201-12. [PMID: 21063908 PMCID: PMC3094541 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-010-9228-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2010] [Accepted: 10/19/2010] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Original extracts from an unpublished 1958 experiment conducted by the late Stanley L. Miller were recently found and analyzed using modern state-of-the-art analytical methods. The extracts were produced by the action of an electric discharge on a mixture of methane (CH(4)), hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S), ammonia (NH(3)), and carbon dioxide (CO(2)). Racemic methionine was formed in significant yields, together with other sulfur-bearing organic compounds. The formation of methionine and other compounds from a model prebiotic atmosphere that contained H(2)S suggests that this type of synthesis is robust under reducing conditions, which may have existed either in the global primitive atmosphere or in localized volcanic environments on the early Earth. The presence of a wide array of sulfur-containing organic compounds produced by the decomposition of methionine and cysteine indicates that in addition to abiotic synthetic processes, degradation of organic compounds on the primordial Earth could have been important in diversifying the inventory of molecules of biochemical significance not readily formed from other abiotic reactions, or derived from extraterrestrial delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric T. Parker
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA
- Present Address: School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 USA
| | - H. James Cleaves
- Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20015 USA
| | - Michael P. Callahan
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Solar System Exploration Division, Greenbelt, MD 20771 USA
| | - Jason P. Dworkin
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Solar System Exploration Division, Greenbelt, MD 20771 USA
| | - Daniel P. Glavin
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Solar System Exploration Division, Greenbelt, MD 20771 USA
| | - Antonio Lazcano
- Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM, Apdo. Postal 70-407 Cd. Universitaria, 04510 Mexico D. F., Mexico
| | - Jeffrey L. Bada
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, 8615 Kennel Way, La Jolla, CA 92093-0212 USA
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120
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Radiation-induced polymerization of β(+)-pinene and synthesis of optically active β(+)/β(−)pinene polymers and copolymers. Radiat Phys Chem Oxf Engl 1993 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2011.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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121
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Boyd RN, Kajino T, Onaka T. Supernovae, neutrinos and the chirality of amino acids. Int J Mol Sci 2011; 12:3432-44. [PMID: 21747686 PMCID: PMC3131570 DOI: 10.3390/ijms12063432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2011] [Revised: 05/12/2011] [Accepted: 05/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A mechanism for creating an enantioenrichment in the amino acids, the building blocks of the proteins, that involves global selection of one handedness by interactions between the amino acids and neutrinos from core-collapse supernovae is defined. The chiral selection involves the dependence of the interaction cross sections on the orientations of the spins of the neutrinos and the (14)N nuclei in the amino acids, or in precursor molecules, which in turn couple to the molecular chirality. It also requires an asymmetric distribution of neutrinos emitted from the supernova. The subsequent chemical evolution and galactic mixing would ultimately populate the Galaxy with the selected species. The resulting amino acids could either be the source thereof on Earth, or could have triggered the chirality that was ultimately achieved for Earth's proteinaceous amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard N. Boyd
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550, USA
| | - Toshitaka Kajino
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan; E-Mail:
- Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; E-Mail:
| | - Takashi Onaka
- Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; E-Mail:
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122
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Breslow R. Formation of L Amino Acids and D Sugars, and Amplification of their Enantioexcesses in Aqueous Solutions, Under Simulated Prebiotic Conditions. Isr J Chem 2011. [DOI: 10.1002/ijch.201100019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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123
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De Zotti M, Biondi B, Crisma M, Hjørringgaard CU, Berg A, Brückner H, Toniolo C. Isovaline in naturally occurring peptides: A nondestructive methodology for configurational assignment. Biopolymers 2011; 98:36-49. [DOI: 10.1002/bip.21679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2011] [Revised: 05/03/2011] [Accepted: 05/10/2011] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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124
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Vandenbussche S, Reisse J, Bartik K, Lievin J. The search for a deterministic origin for the presence of nonracemic amino-acids in meteorites: a computational approach. Chirality 2011; 23:367-73. [PMID: 21488103 DOI: 10.1002/chir.20933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2010] [Revised: 09/29/2010] [Accepted: 10/22/2010] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Amino-acid enantiomeric excesses (ee's) have been detected in different types of carbonaceous chondrites, all in favor of the L enantiomer. In this article, we discuss possible deterministic causes to the presence of these amino-acid ee's in meteorites and evaluate in particular enantioselective photolysis by circularly polarized light (CPL). The electronic circular dichroism spectra of a set of amino- and hydroxy-acids, all detected in chondritic matter but some with ee's and others without ee's, were calculated and compared. The spectra were calculated for the most stable conformation(s) of the considered molecules using quantum mechanical methods (density functional theory). Our results suggest that CPL photolysis in the gas phase was perhaps not at the origin of the presence of ee's in meteorites and that the search for another, but still unknown, deterministic cause must be seriously undertaken.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Vandenbussche
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Université libre de Bruxelles, Matières et Matériaux, Brussels, Belgium
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125
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Primordial synthesis of amines and amino acids in a 1958 Miller H2S-rich spark discharge experiment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:5526-31. [PMID: 21422282 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1019191108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 177] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Archived samples from a previously unreported 1958 Stanley Miller electric discharge experiment containing hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) were recently discovered and analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. We report here the detection and quantification of primary amine-containing compounds in the original sample residues, which were produced via spark discharge using a gaseous mixture of H(2)S, CH(4), NH(3), and CO(2). A total of 23 amino acids and 4 amines, including 7 organosulfur compounds, were detected in these samples. The major amino acids with chiral centers are racemic within the accuracy of the measurements, indicating that they are not contaminants introduced during sample storage. This experiment marks the first synthesis of sulfur amino acids from spark discharge experiments designed to imitate primordial environments. The relative yield of some amino acids, in particular the isomers of aminobutyric acid, are the highest ever found in a spark discharge experiment. The simulated primordial conditions used by Miller may serve as a model for early volcanic plume chemistry and provide insight to the possible roles such plumes may have played in abiotic organic synthesis. Additionally, the overall abundances of the synthesized amino acids in the presence of H(2)S are very similar to the abundances found in some carbonaceous meteorites, suggesting that H(2)S may have played an important role in prebiotic reactions in early solar system environments.
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126
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Elsila JE, Callahan MP, Glavin DP, Dworkin JP, Brückner H. Distribution and stable isotopic composition of amino acids from fungal peptaibiotics: assessing the potential for meteoritic contamination. ASTROBIOLOGY 2011; 11:123-133. [PMID: 21417942 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2010.0505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The presence of nonprotein α-dialkyl-amino acids such as α-aminoisobutyric acid (α-AIB) and isovaline (Iva), which are considered to be relatively rare in the terrestrial biosphere, has long been used as an indication of the indigeneity of meteoritic amino acids. However, recent work showing the presence of α-AIB and Iva in peptides produced by a widespread group of filamentous fungi indicates the possibility of a terrestrial biotic source for the α-AIB observed in some meteorites. We measured the amino acid distribution and stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of four α-AIB-containing fungal peptides and compared this data to similar meteoritic measurements. We show that the relatively simple distribution of the C(4) and C(5) amino acids in fungal peptides is distinct from the complex distribution observed in many carbonaceous chondrites. We also identify potentially diagnostic relationships between the stable isotopic compositions of pairs of amino acids from the fungal peptides that may aid in ruling out fungal contamination as a source of meteoritic amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie E Elsila
- Goddard Center for Astrobiology and Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA.
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127
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Summons RE, Amend JP, Bish D, Buick R, Cody GD, Des Marais DJ, Dromart G, Eigenbrode JL, Knoll AH, Sumner DY. Preservation of martian organic and environmental records: final report of the Mars biosignature working group. ASTROBIOLOGY 2011; 11:157-81. [PMID: 21417945 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2010.0506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) has an instrument package capable of making measurements of past and present environmental conditions. The data generated may tell us if Mars is, or ever was, able to support life. However, the knowledge of Mars' past history and the geological processes most likely to preserve a record of that history remain sparse and, in some instances, ambiguous. Physical, chemical, and geological processes relevant to biosignature preservation on Earth, especially under conditions early in its history when microbial life predominated, are also imperfectly known. Here, we present the report of a working group chartered by the Co-Chairs of NASA's MSL Project Science Group, John P. Grotzinger and Michael A. Meyer, to review and evaluate potential for biosignature formation and preservation on Mars. Orbital images confirm that layered rocks achieved kilometer-scale thicknesses in some regions of ancient Mars. Clearly, interplays of sedimentation and erosional processes govern present-day exposures, and our understanding of these processes is incomplete. MSL can document and evaluate patterns of stratigraphic development as well as the sources of layered materials and their subsequent diagenesis. It can also document other potential biosignature repositories such as hydrothermal environments. These capabilities offer an unprecedented opportunity to decipher key aspects of the environmental evolution of Mars' early surface and aspects of the diagenetic processes that have operated since that time. Considering the MSL instrument payload package, we identified the following classes of biosignatures as within the MSL detection window: organism morphologies (cells, body fossils, casts), biofabrics (including microbial mats), diagnostic organic molecules, isotopic signatures, evidence of biomineralization and bioalteration, spatial patterns in chemistry, and biogenic gases. Of these, biogenic organic molecules and biogenic atmospheric gases are considered the most definitive and most readily detectable by MSL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger E Summons
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
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128
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Meierhenrich UJ, Filippi JJ, Meinert C, Bredehöft JH, Takahashi JI, Nahon L, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV. Circular dichroism of amino acids in the vacuum-ultraviolet region. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2011; 49:7799-802. [PMID: 20845349 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201003877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Uwe J Meierhenrich
- Laboratoire des Molécules Bioactives et des Arômes, UMR 6001 CNRS-UNSA, Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Faculté des Sciences, Parc Valrose, 06108 Nice, France.
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129
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Fraser DG, Greenwell HC, Skipper NT, Smalley MV, Wilkinson MA, Demé B, Heenan RK. Chiral interactions of histidine in a hydrated vermiculite clay. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2011; 13:825-30. [DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01387k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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130
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Fraser DG, Fitz D, Jakschitz T, Rode BM. Selective adsorption and chiral amplification of amino acids in vermiculite clay-implications for the origin of biochirality. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2010; 13:831-8. [PMID: 21031170 DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01388a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Smectite clays are hydrated layer silicates that, like micas, occur naturally in abundance. Importantly, they have readily modifiable interlayer spaces that provide excellent sites for nanochemistry. Vermiculite is one such smectite clay and in the presence of small chain-length alkyl-NH(3)Cl ions forms sensitive, 1-D ordered model clay systems with expandable nano-pore inter-layer regions. These inter-layers readily adsorb organic molecules. n-Propyl NH(3)Cl vermiculite clay gels were used to determine the adsorption of alanine, lysine and histidine by chiral HPLC. The results show that during reaction with fresh vermiculite interlayers, significant chiral enrichment of either L- and D-enantiomers occurs depending on the amino acid. Chiral enrichment of the supernatant solutions is up to about 1% per pass. In contrast, addition to clay interlayers already reacted with amino acid solutions resulted in little or no change in D/L ratio during the time of the experiment. Adsorption of small amounts of amphiphilic organic molecules in clay inter-layers is known to produce Layer-by-Layer or Langmuir-Blodgett films. Moreover atomistic simulations show that self-organization of organic species in clay interlayers is important. These non-centrosymmetric, chirally active nanofilms may cause clays to act subsequently as chiral amplifiers, concentrating organic material from dilute solution and having different adsorption energetics for D- and L-enantiomers. The additional role of clays in RNA oligomerization already postulated by Ferris and others, together with the need for the organization of amphiphilic molecules and lipids noted by Szostak and others, suggests that such chiral separation by clays in lagoonal environments at normal biological temperatures might also have played a significant role in the origin of biochirality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald G Fraser
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PR, UK.
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131
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Meierhenrich UJ, Filippi JJ, Meinert C, Bredehöft JH, Takahashi JI, Nahon L, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV. Circulardichroismus von Aminosäuren im Vakuum-Ultravioletten. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2010. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201003877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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132
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Meierhenrich UJ, Filippi JJ, Meinert C, Vierling P, Dworkin JP. On the origin of primitive cells: from nutrient intake to elongation of encapsulated nucleotides. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2010; 49:3738-50. [PMID: 20437432 DOI: 10.1002/anie.200905465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Recent major discoveries in membrane biophysics hold the key to a modern understanding of the origin of life on Earth. Membrane bilayer vesicles have been shown to provide a multifaceted microenvironment in which protometabolic reactions could have developed. Cell-membrane-like aggregates of amphiphilic molecules capable of retaining encapsulated oligonucleotides have been successfully created in the laboratory. Sophisticated laboratory studies on the origin of life now show that elongation of the DNA primer takes place inside fatty acid vesicles when activated nucleotide nutrients are added to the external medium. These studies demonstrate that cell-like vesicles can be sufficiently permeable to allow for the intake of charged molecules such as activated nucleotides, which can then take part in copying templates in the protocell interior. In this Review we summarize recent experiments in this area and describe a possible scenario for the origin of primitive cells, with an emphasis on the elongation of encapsulated nucleotides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uwe J Meierhenrich
- LCMBA UMR 6001 CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Faculté des Sciences, Parc Valrose, 06108 Nice, France.
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133
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Abstract
Recent synthetic approaches to understanding the origin of life have yielded insights into plausible pathways for the emergence of the first cells. Here we review current experiments with implications for the origin of life, emphasizing the ability of unexpected physical processes to facilitate the self-assembly and self-replication of the first biological systems. These laboratory efforts have uncovered novel physical mechanisms for the emergence of homochirality; the concentration and purification of prebiotic building blocks; and the ability of the first cells to assemble, grow, divide, and acquire greater complexity. In the absence of evolved biochemical capabilities, such physical processes likely played an essential role in early biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itay Budin
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114-2696, USA
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134
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Danger G, Plasson R, Pascal R. An experimental investigation of the evolution of chirality in a potential dynamic peptide system: N-terminal epimerization and degradation into diketopiperazine. ASTROBIOLOGY 2010; 10:651-662. [PMID: 20735255 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2009.0450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The APED model (activation-polymerization-epimerization-depolymerization) is a unique example of a chemical system that allows symmetry breaking through a dynamic process involving indirect network autocatalysis. In its simplest version, the autocatalytic behavior of this model partly relies on the reproduction of local chiral centers in dipeptides through an epimerization process, with a thermodynamic preference for homochiral chains. We studied the reactivity of di- and tripeptides, containing a N-terminal phenylglycine (Phg) residue, as model compounds for the experimental determination of the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters related to the N-terminal epimerization process. Although the N-terminal residue is prone to spontaneous epimerization, catalysis was required for the epimerization to reach the equilibrium state in reasonable time. Unexpectedly, the observed equilibrium diastereoisomeric excesses have shown a general tendency for more stable heterochiral peptides, especially strong in the case of dipeptides. In parallel to this process, a stereoselective peptide cleavage through diketopiperazine formation was observed. Contrary to the N-terminal epimerization of peptides, the diketopiperazine formation did not need any catalyst, and heterochiral peptides were shown to be dynamically unstabilized, as they were cleaved faster than homochiral peptides. The validity of the extrapolation of these results to other residues and longer peptide chains is discussed, and some directions for future developments of the theoretical model are given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grégoire Danger
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron, UMR 5247 CNRS, Université de Montpellier 1, Université de Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France.
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135
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De Zotti M, Schievano E, Mammi S, Kaptein B, Broxterman Q, Singh S, Brückner H, Toniolo C. Configurational Assignment of D- and L-Isovalines in Intact, Natural, and Synthetic Peptides by 2D-NMR Spectroscopy. Chem Biodivers 2010; 7:1612-24. [DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.200900287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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136
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Ehrenfreund P, Cami J. Cosmic carbon chemistry: from the interstellar medium to the early Earth. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2010; 2:a002097. [PMID: 20554702 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a002097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Astronomical observations have shown that carbonaceous compounds in the gas and solid state, refractory and icy are ubiquitous in our and distant galaxies. Interstellar molecular clouds and circumstellar envelopes are factories of complex molecular synthesis. A surprisingly large number of molecules that are used in contemporary biochemistry on Earth are found in the interstellar medium, planetary atmospheres and surfaces, comets, asteroids and meteorites, and interplanetary dust particles. In this article we review the current knowledge of abundant organic material in different space environments and investigate the connection between presolar and solar system material, based on observations of interstellar dust and gas, cometary volatiles, simulation experiments, and the analysis of extraterrestrial matter. Current challenges in astrochemistry are discussed and future research directions are proposed.
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137
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138
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Fukue T, Tamura M, Kandori R, Kusakabe N, Hough JH, Bailey J, Whittet DCB, Lucas PW, Nakajima Y, Hashimoto J. Extended high circular polarization in the Orion massive star forming region: implications for the origin of homochirality in the solar system. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2010; 40:335-46. [PMID: 20213160 PMCID: PMC2858801 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-010-9206-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2009] [Accepted: 01/13/2010] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We present a wide-field (approximately 6' x 6') and deep near-infrared (K(s) band: 2.14 mum) circular polarization image in the Orion nebula, where massive stars and many low-mass stars are forming. Our results reveal that a high circular polarization region is spatially extended (approximately 0.4 pc) around the massive star-forming region, the BN/KL nebula. However, other regions, including the linearly polarized Orion bar, show no significant circular polarization. Most of the low-mass young stars do not show detectable extended structure in either linear or circular polarization, in contrast to the BN/KL nebula. If our solar system formed in a massive star-forming region and was irradiated by net circularly polarized radiation, then enantiomeric excesses could have been induced, through asymmetric photochemistry, in the parent bodies of the meteorites and subsequently delivered to Earth. These could then have played a role in the development of biological homochirality on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsubasa Fukue
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan.
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139
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Photochirogenesis: Photochemical Models on the Origin of Biomolecular Homochirality. Symmetry (Basel) 2010. [DOI: 10.3390/sym2021055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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140
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141
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Meierhenrich U, Filippi JJ, Meinert C, Vierling P, Dworkin J. Die Entstehung erster Zellen - von der Nährstoffaufnahme hin zur Verlängerung eingeschlossener Nucleotide. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2010. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.200905465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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142
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143
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High molecular diversity of extraterrestrial organic matter in Murchison meteorite revealed 40 years after its fall. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 107:2763-8. [PMID: 20160129 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0912157107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 218] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous descriptions of organic molecules present in the Murchison meteorite have improved our understanding of the early interstellar chemistry that operated at or just before the birth of our solar system. However, all molecular analyses were so far targeted toward selected classes of compounds with a particular emphasis on biologically active components in the context of prebiotic chemistry. Here we demonstrate that a nontargeted ultrahigh-resolution molecular analysis of the solvent-accessible organic fraction of Murchison extracted under mild conditions allows one to extend its indigenous chemical diversity to tens of thousands of different molecular compositions and likely millions of diverse structures. This molecular complexity, which provides hints on heteroatoms chronological assembly, suggests that the extraterrestrial chemodiversity is high compared to terrestrial relevant biological- and biogeochemical-driven chemical space.
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144
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Arteaga O, Canillas A, Crusats J, El-Hachemi Z, Jellison GE, Llorca J, Ribó JM. Chiral biases in solids by effect of shear gradients: a speculation on the deterministic origin of biological homochirality. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2010; 40:27-40. [PMID: 19924561 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-009-9184-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2009] [Accepted: 10/07/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
We present an experimental approach to the study of the chirality of three CM2 meteorite solid samples by direct measurement of the optical activity (circular birefringence; CB). The measurements are based on transmission two modulator generalized ellipsometry in conjuction with microscope optics to map the CB of the samples. In spite of the complexity of such optical analysis, these first results indicate the presence of optically active areas in the meteorite solid matrix. In the case of the Murchison sample the statistics of the CB mapping shows a bimodal distribution with a bias to negative CB values. The composition of the active areas probably corresponds to serpentines and other poorly identified phyllosilicate phases. The results are compatible with the hypothesis that in a mineral-based scenario for the origin of life a CB sign bias in the chiral fractures originated by mechanical and flow shear gradients on clays could be later transferred to the reactions of the absorbed organic compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oriol Arteaga
- Department de Física Aplicada i Optica, IN2UB, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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145
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Kawasaki T, Shimizu M, Nishiyama D, Ito M, Ozawa H, Soai K. Asymmetric autocatalysis induced by meteoritic amino acids with hydrogen isotope chirality. Chem Commun (Camb) 2009:4396-8. [PMID: 19597604 PMCID: PMC2898652 DOI: 10.1039/b908754k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2009] [Accepted: 06/08/2009] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Achiral meteoritic amino acids, glycine and alpha-methylalanine, with hydrogen isotope (D/H) chirality, acted as the source of chirality in asymmetric autocatalysis with amplification of ee to afford highly enantioenriched 5-pyrimidyl alkanols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsuneomi Kawasaki
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan. ; Fax: +81 3 5261 4631; Tel: +81 3 5228 8261
- Research Institute of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
| | - Masako Shimizu
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan. ; Fax: +81 3 5261 4631; Tel: +81 3 5228 8261
| | - Daisuke Nishiyama
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan. ; Fax: +81 3 5261 4631; Tel: +81 3 5228 8261
| | - Masateru Ito
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan. ; Fax: +81 3 5261 4631; Tel: +81 3 5228 8261
| | - Hitomi Ozawa
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan. ; Fax: +81 3 5261 4631; Tel: +81 3 5228 8261
| | - Kenso Soai
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan. ; Fax: +81 3 5261 4631; Tel: +81 3 5228 8261
- Research Institute of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
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146
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Meierhenrich UJ. Aminosäuren und die Entstehung des Lebens. Spuren aus dem Weltraum. CHEM UNSERER ZEIT 2009. [DOI: 10.1002/ciuz.200900482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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147
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Organic analysis of peridotite rocks from the Ashadze and Logatchev hydrothermal sites. Int J Mol Sci 2009; 10:2986-2998. [PMID: 19742180 PMCID: PMC2738907 DOI: 10.3390/ijms10072986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2009] [Revised: 06/27/2009] [Accepted: 07/01/2009] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
This article presents an experimental analysis of the organic content of two serpentinized peridotite rocks of the terrestrial upper mantle. The samples have been dredged on the floor of the Ashadze and Logatchev hydrothermal sites on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In this preliminary analysis, amino acids and long chain n-alkanes are identified. They are most probably of biological/microbial origin. Some peaks remain unidentified.
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148
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On-line sample stacking of peptides in capillary electrophoresis for the study of prebiotic reactions between alpha,alpha-dialkylated amino acids and amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides. J Chromatogr A 2009; 1216:5748-54. [PMID: 19539298 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2009.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2009] [Revised: 05/20/2009] [Accepted: 06/03/2009] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The reaction between alpha,alpha-dialkylated amino acids and amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides is slow leading to low concentrations of products (peptides). The detection by capillary electrophoresis of the analytes contained in such samples is therefore a challenging issue. In this work, on-line sample pre-concentration methods based on field-amplified sample stacking have been implemented and compared. Because of the high ionic strength present in the sample matrix, samples were diluted with an organic solvent prior to analysis to decrease the sample conductivity. Different modes of sample injection (field amplified sample injection (FASI), hydrodynamic normal sample stacking (NSS) or large volume sample stacking (LVSS)) were compared. Pre-concentration factors of 20 for FASI, about 30-40 for NSS and 60 for LVSS were obtained for the analysis of (l,l) dipeptide of valine in a large excess of isovaline and 0.2M of ionic strength. For LVSS application and resolution optimisation, a new non-covalent coating based on the partial modification of the capillary surface was used to tune the electroosmotic flow magnitude and to pump the sample matrix out of the capillary. This on-line sample pre-concentration step allowed confirming that oligopeptides including alpha,alpha-dialkylated amino acids are formed during the reaction between alpha,alpha-dialkylated amino acids and N-carboxyanhydride amino acids.
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