1
|
Bocková J, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Meinert C. The astrochemical evolutionary traits of phospholipid membrane homochirality. Nat Rev Chem 2024; 8:652-664. [PMID: 39025922 DOI: 10.1038/s41570-024-00627-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Compartmentalization is crucial for the evolution of life. Present-day phospholipid membranes exhibit a high level of complexity and species-dependent homochirality, the so-called lipid divide. It is possible that less stable, yet more dynamic systems, promoting out-of-equilibrium environments, facilitated the evolution of life at its early stages. The composition of the preceding primitive membranes and the evolutionary route towards complexity and homochirality remain unexplained. Organics-rich carbonaceous chondrites are evidence of the ample diversity of interstellar chemistry, which may have enriched the prebiotic milieu on early Earth. This Review evaluates the detections of simple amphiphiles - likely ancestors of membrane phospholipids - in extraterrestrial samples and analogues, along with potential pathways to form primitive compartments on primeval Earth. The chiroptical properties of the chiral backbones of phospholipids provide a guide for future investigations into the origins of phospholipid membrane homochirality. We highlight a plausible common pathway towards homochirality of lipids, amino acids, and sugars starting from enantioenriched monomers. Finally, given their high recalcitrance and resistance to degradation, lipids are among the best candidate biomarkers in exobiology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jana Bocková
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bocková J, Garcia AD, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Meinert C. Chiroptical properties of membrane glycerophospholipids and their chiral backbones. Chirality 2024; 36:e23654. [PMID: 38419414 DOI: 10.1002/chir.23654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Glycerophospholipid membranes are one of the key cellular components. Still, their species-dependent composition and homochirality remain an elusive subject. In the context of the astrophysical circularly polarized light scenario likely involved in the generation of a chiral bias in meteoritic amino and sugar acids in space, and consequently in the origin of life's homochirality on Earth, this study reports the first measurements of circular dichroism and anisotropy spectra of a selection of glycerophospholipids, their chiral backbones and their analogs. The rather low asymmetry in the interaction of UV/VUV circularly polarized light with sn-glycerol-1/3-phosphate indicates that chiral photons would have been unlikely to directly induce symmetry breaking to membrane lipids. In contrast, the anisotropy spectra of d-3-phosphoglyceric acid and d-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate unveil up to 20 and 100 times higher maximum anisotropy factor values, respectively. This first experimental report, targeted on investigating the origins of phospholipid symmetry breaking, opens up new avenues of research to explore alternative mechanisms leading to membrane lipid homochirality, while providing important clues for the search for chiral biosignatures of extant and/or extinct life in space, in particular for the ExoMars 2028 mission.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jana Bocková
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Adrien D Garcia
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Bocková J, Jones NC, Topin J, Hoffmann SV, Meinert C. Uncovering the chiral bias of meteoritic isovaline through asymmetric photochemistry. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3381. [PMID: 37291172 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39177-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Systematic enrichments of L-amino acids in meteorites is a strong indication that biological homochirality originated beyond Earth. Although still unresolved, stellar UV circularly polarized light (CPL) is the leading hypothesis to have caused the symmetry breaking in space. This involves the differential absorption of left- and right-CPL, a phenomenon called circular dichroism, which enables chiral discrimination. Here we unveil coherent chiroptical spectra of thin films of isovaline enantiomers, the first step towards asymmetric photolysis experiments using a tunable laser set-up. As analogues to amino acids adsorbed on interstellar dust grains, CPL-helicity dependent enantiomeric excesses of up to 2% were generated in isotropic racemic films of isovaline. The low efficiency of chirality transfer from broadband CPL to isovaline could explain why its enantiomeric excess is not detected in the most pristine chondrites. Notwithstanding, small, yet consistent L-biases induced by stellar CPL would have been crucial for its amplification during aqueous alteration of meteorite parent bodies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jana Bocková
- Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN), CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, 06108, Nice, France
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jérémie Topin
- Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN), CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, 06108, Nice, France
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN), CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, 06108, Nice, France.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Moore B, Mahoney K, Zeng MF, Djuricanin P, Momose T. Ultraviolet Photodissociation of Proteinogenic Amino Acids. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:11045-11055. [PMID: 37167534 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c00124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The ultraviolet photochemistry of the amino acids glycine, leucine, proline, and serine in their neutral forms was investigated using parahydrogen matrix-isolation spectroscopy. Irradiation by 213 nm light destroys the chirality of all three chiral amino acids as a result of the α-carbonyl C-C bond cleavage and hydrocarboxyl (HOCO) radical production. The temporal behavior of the Fourier-transform infrared spectra revealed that HOCO radicals rapidly reach a steady state, which occurs predominantly due to photodissociation of HOCO into CO + OH or CO2 + H. In glycine and leucine, the amine radicals generated by the α-carbonyl C-C bond cleavage rapidly undergo hydrogen elimination to yield methanimine and 3-methylbutane-1-imine, respectively. Breaking of the α-carbonyl C-C bond in proline appeared to yield 1-pyrroline, although due to its weak absorption it remains unconfirmed. In serine, additional products were formaldehyde and E/Z ethanimine. The present study shows that the direct production of HOCO previously observed in α-alanine generalizes to other amino acids of varying structure. It also revealed a tendency for amino acid photolysis to form imines rather than amine radicals. HOCO should be useful in the search for amino acids in interstellar space, particularly in combination with simple imine molecules.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brendan Moore
- Department of Chemistry, The University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Kyle Mahoney
- Department of Chemistry, The University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Mei Fei Zeng
- Department of Chemistry, The University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Pavle Djuricanin
- Department of Chemistry, The University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Takamasa Momose
- Department of Chemistry, The University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Shoji M, Kitazawa Y, Sato A, Watanabe N, Boero M, Shigeta Y, Umemura M. Enantiomeric Excesses of Aminonitrile Precursors Determine the Homochirality of Amino Acids. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:3243-3248. [PMID: 36975120 PMCID: PMC10084466 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c03862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
High enantiomeric excesses (ee's) of l-amino acids, including non-proteinogenic amino acid isovaline (Iva), were discovered in the Murchison meteorite, but the detailed molecular mechanism responsible for the observed ee of amino acids remains elusive and inconsistent, because Iva has an inverted circular dichroism (CD) spectrum with respect to α-H amino acids, e.g., alanine. To address this issue, we resort to accurate ab initio calculations for amino acids and their precursors in the Strecker synthesis. We evaluated their photolysis-induced ee in the range 5-11 eV including the Lyman alpha emission line (Lyα), the typical intensive 10.2 eV radiation ascribed to the early phase of galactic evolution. We show that only the aminonitrile precursors are characterized by positive ee in the Lyα region, explaining why right-handed circularly polarized Lyα (R-CP-Lyα) induces homologous l-amino acids. This study shows that the homochirality of amino acids is produced at the aminonitrile precursors stage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mitsuo Shoji
- Center
for Computational Sciences, University of
Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
- JST-PRESTO, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Yuya Kitazawa
- Graduate
School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University
of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan
| | - Akimasa Sato
- Graduate
School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University
of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan
| | - Natsuki Watanabe
- Graduate
School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University
of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan
| | - Mauro Boero
- University
of Strasbourg, Institut de Physique
et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR 7504, 23 rue du Loess, Strasbourg F-67034, France
| | - Yasuteru Shigeta
- Center
for Computational Sciences, University of
Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| | - Masayuki Umemura
- Center
for Computational Sciences, University of
Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Garcia AD, Topin J, Bocková J, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Meinert C. Chiroptical activity of gas-phase propylene oxide predicting the handedness of interstellar circular polarization in the presolar nebula. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eadd4614. [PMID: 36399555 PMCID: PMC9674286 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add4614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Propylene oxide, the first chiral molecule recently detected in the interstellar medium, has once again raised the question whether biomolecular chirality might have cosmic origins. However, accurate chiroptical properties of propylene oxide in the ultraviolet spectral range necessary to suggest possible asymmetric synthetic routes in the gas phase are scarce. Here, we report on the first experimental measurements of the anisotropy spectra of gas-phase propylene oxide in the vacuum ultraviolet spectral range. Our experimental results provide novel insights into the handedness of interstellar circular polarization at the dawn of molecular evolution of our star- and planet-forming region. Besides the fundamental importance of this new investigation for understanding the origin and evolution of homochirality on Earth, our high-resolution experimental electronic circular dichroism data will inspire new efforts in quantum computational spectroscopy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adrien D. Garcia
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, Nice 06108, France
| | - Jérémie Topin
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, Nice 06108, France
| | - Jana Bocková
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, Nice 06108, France
| | - Nykola C. Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Søren V. Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, Nice 06108, France
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Hori Y, Nakamura H, Sakawa T, Watanabe N, Kayanuma M, Shoji M, Umemura M, Shigeta Y. Theoretical Investigation into a Possibility of Formation of Propylene Oxide Homochirality in Space. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:1330-1336. [PMID: 36067332 PMCID: PMC9618371 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The preferential synthesis or destruction of a single enantiomer by ultraviolet circularly polarized light (UV-CPL) has been proposed as a possible triggering mechanism for the extraterrestrial origin of homochirality. Herein, we investigate the photoabsorption property of propylene oxide (c-C3H6O) for UV-CPL in the Lyman-α region. Our calculations show that c-C3H6O was produced by CH3+ and CH3CH(OH)CH3 or C3H7• and O (triplet). The computed electronic circular dichroism spectra show that c-C3H6O and the intermediate (CH3CH(OH)CH2+) could absorb the UV-CPL originating from the Lyman-α emitter spectrum, suggesting that the photolysis of c-C3H6O or CH3CH(OH)CH2+ upon irradiation could induce chiral symmetry breakage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Hori
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Honami Nakamura
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Takahide Sakawa
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Natsuki Watanabe
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Megumi Kayanuma
- Research Center for Computational Design of Advanced Functional Materials, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Mitsuo Shoji
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Masayuki Umemura
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yasuteru Shigeta
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Sallembien Q, Bouteiller L, Crassous J, Raynal M. Possible chemical and physical scenarios towards biological homochirality. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:3436-3476. [PMID: 35377372 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs01179k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The single chirality of biological molecules in terrestrial biology raises more questions than certitudes about its origin. The emergence of biological homochirality (BH) and its connection with the appearance of life have elicited a large number of theories related to the generation, amplification and preservation of a chiral bias in molecules of life under prebiotically relevant conditions. However, a global scenario is still lacking. Here, the possibility of inducing a significant chiral bias "from scratch", i.e. in the absence of pre-existing enantiomerically-enriched chemical species, will be considered first. It includes phenomena that are inherent to the nature of matter itself, such as the infinitesimal energy difference between enantiomers as a result of violation of parity in certain fundamental interactions, and physicochemical processes related to interactions between chiral organic molecules and physical fields, polarized particles, polarized spins and chiral surfaces. The spontaneous emergence of chirality in the absence of detectable chiral physical and chemical sources has recently undergone significant advances thanks to the deracemization of conglomerates through Viedma ripening and asymmetric auto-catalysis with the Soai reaction. All these phenomena are commonly discussed as plausible sources of asymmetry under prebiotic conditions and are potentially accountable for the primeval chiral bias in molecules of life. Then, several scenarios will be discussed that are aimed to reflect the different debates about the emergence of BH: extra-terrestrial or terrestrial origin (where?), nature of the mechanisms leading to the propagation and enhancement of the primeval chiral bias (how?) and temporal sequence between chemical homochirality, BH and life emergence (when?). Intense and ongoing theories regarding the emergence of optically pure molecules at different moments of the evolution process towards life, i.e. at the levels of building blocks of Life, of the instructed or functional polymers, or even later at the stage of more elaborated chemical systems, will be critically discussed. The underlying principles and the experimental evidence will be commented for each scenario with particular attention on those leading to the induction and enhancement of enantiomeric excesses in proteinogenic amino acids, natural sugars, and their intermediates or derivatives. The aim of this review is to propose an updated and timely synopsis in order to stimulate new efforts in this interdisciplinary field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Sallembien
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Laurent Bouteiller
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Jeanne Crassous
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes, ISCR-UMR 6226, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Matthieu Raynal
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Tang Y, Liu L, Suzuki J, Teraguchi M, Kaneko T, Aoki T. Novel highly efficient absolute optical resolution method by serial combination of two asymmetric reactions from acetylene monomers having racemic substituents. Chirality 2022; 34:450-461. [PMID: 34997650 DOI: 10.1002/chir.23404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
For general optical resolution, an optical resolution agent is necessary, and the best agent should be selected for each racemic compound. In this study, we will report that a novel optical resolution method by circularly polarized light (CPL) without any optical resolution agents has been developed by serially connecting two enantioselective reactions. These reactions we developed are the enantiomer-selective helix-sense-selective polymerization (ES-HSSP) and helix-sense-selective highly selective photocyclic aromatization (SCAT) by CPL (HS-SCAT). Since this significantly unique EPHS method (EPHS = ES-HSSP + HS-SCAT) does not need any optical resolution agents, any cocatalysts, and solvents for the selective decomposition reaction (HS-SCAT), this process is quite simple and convenient. Since this process does not include any decomposition of the target racemates themselves, both enantiomers could be obtained. The optical yields for isolated compounds that were enantiomerically separated by the EPHS method were very high, for example, 78%ee, 93%ee, and 85%ee for menthol, phenethyl alcohol, and 2-butanol, respectively. In addition, their chemical yields were around 85% to 94%. Therefore, the EPHS method was found to show an excellent performance and can be applied to actual optical resolution for a wide range of racemic compounds. This is the first absolute optical resolution by CPL showing high optical and chemical yields and expected to become a practical optical resolution method.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Tang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Lijia Liu
- Yantai Research Institute and Graduate School, Harbin Engineering University, Yantai, China
| | - Junpei Suzuki
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Masahiro Teraguchi
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Takashi Kaneko
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Toshiki Aoki
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Tang Y, Liu L, Suzuki J, Teraguchi M, Kaneko T, Aoki T. Highly Efficient Absolute Optical Resolution with Circularly Polarized Light via Two Serial Enantioselective Reactions of Acetylene Monomers Bearing a Racemic Substituent. CHEM LETT 2021. [DOI: 10.1246/cl.210341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Tang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - Lijia Liu
- Key Laboratory of Superlight Materials and Surface Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, P. R. China
| | - Junpei Suzuki
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - Masahiro Teraguchi
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - Takashi Kaneko
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - Toshiki Aoki
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Bocková J, Jones NC, Meierhenrich UJ, Hoffmann SV, Meinert C. Chiroptical activity of hydroxycarboxylic acids with implications for the origin of biological homochirality. Commun Chem 2021; 4:86. [PMID: 36697718 PMCID: PMC9814692 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-021-00524-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Circularly polarised light (CPL) interacting with interstellar organic molecules might have imparted chiral bias and hence preluded prebiotic evolution of biomolecular homochirality. The L-enrichment of extra-terrestrial amino acids in meteorites, as opposed to no detectable excess in monocarboxylic acids and amines, has previously been attributed to their intrinsic interaction with stellar CPL revealed by substantial differences in their chiroptical signals. Recent analyses of meteoritic hydroxycarboxylic acids (HCAs) - potential co-building blocks of ancestral proto-peptides - indicated a chiral bias toward the L-enantiomer of lactic acid. Here we report on novel anisotropy spectra of several HCAs using a synchrotron radiation electronic circular dichroism spectrophotometer to support the re-evaluation of chiral biomarkers of extra-terrestrial origin in the context of absolute photochirogenesis. We found that irradiation by CPL which would yield L-excess in amino acids would also yield L-excess in aliphatic chain HCAs, including lactic acid and mandelic acid, in the examined conditions. Only tartaric acid would show "unnatural" D-enrichment, which makes it a suitable target compound for further assessing the relevance of the CPL scenario.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jana Bocková
- University Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institute de Chimie de Nice, UMR 7272, Nice, France.
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Uwe J Meierhenrich
- University Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institute de Chimie de Nice, UMR 7272, Nice, France
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- University Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Institute de Chimie de Nice, UMR 7272, Nice, France.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Hadidi R, Božanić DK, Ganjitabar H, Garcia GA, Powis I, Nahon L. Conformer-dependent vacuum ultraviolet photodynamics and chiral asymmetries in pure enantiomers of gas phase proline. Commun Chem 2021; 4:72. [PMID: 36697576 PMCID: PMC9814706 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-021-00508-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Proline is a unique amino-acid, with a secondary amine fixed within a pyrrolidine ring providing specific structural properties to proline-rich biopolymers. Gas-phase proline possesses four main H-bond stabilized conformers differing by the ring puckering and carboxylic acid orientation. The latter defines two classes of conformation, whose large ionization energy difference allows a unique conformer-class tagging via electron spectroscopy. Photoelectron circular dichroism (PECD) is an intense chiroptical effect sensitive to molecular structures, hence theorized to be highly conformation-dependent. Here, we present experimental evidence of an intense and striking conformer-specific PECD, measured in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photoionization of proline, as well as a conformer-dependent cation fragmentation behavior. This finding, combined with theoretical modeling, allows a refinement of the conformational landscape and energetic ordering, that proves inaccessible to current molecular electronic structure calculations. Additionally, astrochemical implications regarding a possible link of PECD to the origin of life's homochirality are considered in terms of plausible temperature constraints.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rim Hadidi
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, l'Orme des Merisiers, Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Dušan K Božanić
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, l'Orme des Merisiers, Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France
- Department of Radiation Chemistry and Physics, "VINČA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Hassan Ganjitabar
- School of Chemistry, The University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK
| | - Gustavo A Garcia
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, l'Orme des Merisiers, Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Ivan Powis
- School of Chemistry, The University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK
| | - Laurent Nahon
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, l'Orme des Merisiers, Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Resonance in Chirogenesis and Photochirogenesis: Colloidal Polymers Meet Chiral Optofluidics. Symmetry (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/sym13020199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Metastable colloids made of crystalline and/or non-crystalline matters render abilities of photonic resonators susceptible to chiral chemical and circularly polarized light sources. By assuming that μm-size colloids and co-colloids consisting of π- and/or σ-conjugated polymers dispersed into an optofluidic medium are artificial models of open-flow, non-equilibrium coacervates, we showcase experimentally resonance effects in chirogenesis and photochirogenesis, revealed by gigantic boosted chiroptical signals as circular dichroism (CD), optical rotation dispersion, circularly polarized luminescence (CPL), and CPL excitation (CPLE) spectral datasets. The resonance in chirogenesis occurs at very specific refractive indices (RIs) of the surrounding medium. The chirogenesis is susceptible to the nature of the optically active optofluidic medium. Moreover, upon an excitation-wavelength-dependent circularly polarized (CP) light source, a fully controlled absolute photochirogenesis, which includes all chiroptical generation, inversion, erase, switching, and short-/long-lived memories, is possible when the colloidal non-photochromic and photochromic polymers are dispersed in an achiral optofluidic medium with a tuned RI. The hand of the CP light source is not a determining factor for the product chirality. These results are associated with my experience concerning amphiphilic polymerizable colloids, in which, four decades ago, allowed proposing a perspective that colloids are connectable to light, polymers, helix, coacervates, and panspermia hypotheses, nuclear physics, biology, radioisotopes, homochirality question, first life, and cosmology.
Collapse
|
14
|
He CL, Feng Z, Li Y, Zhou M, Zhao L, Shan S, Wang M, Chen X, Wang XS, Zou G. Improved enantioselectivity in thiol–ene photopolymerization of sulphur-containing polymers with circularly polarized luminescence. Polym Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1039/d1py00082a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Optically active poly(thioether) are obtained based on CPL-triggered thiol–ene photopolymerization assisted with achiral HAD. The poly(thioether) exhibits clusterization-triggered emission and circularly polarized luminescence behavior.
Collapse
|
15
|
Rani N, Vikas. Extra‐Terrestrial Gas‐Phase Stereoinversion in Amino Acid Leucine: Thermal and Photochemical Channels. Chemphyschem 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202000230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Namrata Rani
- Quantum Chemistry Group, Department of Chemistry & Centre of Advanced Studies in ChemistryPanjab University Chandigarh 160014 India
| | - Vikas
- Quantum Chemistry Group, Department of Chemistry & Centre of Advanced Studies in ChemistryPanjab University Chandigarh 160014 India
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Interactions of Single Particle with Organic Matters: A Facile Bottom-Up Approach to Low Dimensional Nanostructures. QUANTUM BEAM SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/qubs4010007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
A particle induces a pack of chemical reactions in nanospace: chemical reactions confined into extremely small space provide an ultimate technique for the nanofabrication of organic matter with a variety of functions. Since the discovery of particle accelerators, an extremely high energy density can be deposited, even by a single isolated particle with MeV-ordered kinetic energy. However, this was considered to cause severe damages to organic molecules due to its relatively small bond energies, and lack of ability to control the reactions precisely to form the structures while retaining physico-chemical molecular functionalities. Practically, the severely damaged area along a particle trajectory: a core of a particle track has been simply visualized for the detection/dosimetry of an incident particle to the matters, or been removed to lead nanopores and functionalized by refilling/grafting of fresh organic/inorganic materials. The use of intra-track reactions in the so-called “penumbra” or “halo” area of functional organic materials has been realized and provided us with novel and facile protocols to provide low dimensional nano-materials with perfect size controllability in the 21st century. These protocols are now referred to as single particle nanofabrication technique (SPNT) and/or single particle triggered linear polymerization technique (STLiP), paving the way towards a new approach for nanomaterials with desired functionalities from original molecules. Herein, we report on the extremely wide applicability of SPNT/STLiP protocols for the future development of materials for opto-electronic, catalytic, and biological applications among others.
Collapse
|
17
|
Glavin DP, Burton AS, Elsila JE, Aponte JC, Dworkin JP. The Search for Chiral Asymmetry as a Potential Biosignature in our Solar System. Chem Rev 2019; 120:4660-4689. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P. Glavin
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - Aaron S. Burton
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 77058, United States
| | - Jamie E. Elsila
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - José C. Aponte
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
- Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. 20064, United States
| | - Jason P. Dworkin
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Chan MA, Hinman NW, Potter-McIntyre SL, Schubert KE, Gillams RJ, Awramik SM, Boston PJ, Bower DM, Des Marais DJ, Farmer JD, Jia TZ, King PL, Hazen RM, Léveillé RJ, Papineau D, Rempfert KR, Sánchez-Román M, Spear JR, Southam G, Stern JC, Cleaves HJ. Deciphering Biosignatures in Planetary Contexts. ASTROBIOLOGY 2019; 19:1075-1102. [PMID: 31335163 PMCID: PMC6708275 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Microbial life permeates Earth's critical zone and has likely inhabited nearly all our planet's surface and near subsurface since before the beginning of the sedimentary rock record. Given the vast time that Earth has been teeming with life, do astrobiologists truly understand what geological features untouched by biological processes would look like? In the search for extraterrestrial life in the Universe, it is critical to determine what constitutes a biosignature across multiple scales, and how this compares with "abiosignatures" formed by nonliving processes. Developing standards for abiotic and biotic characteristics would provide quantitative metrics for comparison across different data types and observational time frames. The evidence for life detection falls into three categories of biosignatures: (1) substances, such as elemental abundances, isotopes, molecules, allotropes, enantiomers, minerals, and their associated properties; (2) objects that are physical features such as mats, fossils including trace-fossils and microbialites (stromatolites), and concretions; and (3) patterns, such as physical three-dimensional or conceptual n-dimensional relationships of physical or chemical phenomena, including patterns of intermolecular abundances of organic homologues, and patterns of stable isotopic abundances between and within compounds. Five key challenges that warrant future exploration by the astrobiology community include the following: (1) examining phenomena at the "right" spatial scales because biosignatures may elude us if not examined with the appropriate instrumentation or modeling approach at that specific scale; (2) identifying the precise context across multiple spatial and temporal scales to understand how tangible biosignatures may or may not be preserved; (3) increasing capability to mine big data sets to reveal relationships, for example, how Earth's mineral diversity may have evolved in conjunction with life; (4) leveraging cyberinfrastructure for data management of biosignature types, characteristics, and classifications; and (5) using three-dimensional to n-D representations of biotic and abiotic models overlain on multiple overlapping spatial and temporal relationships to provide new insights.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie A. Chan
- Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Nancy W. Hinman
- Department of Geosciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana
| | | | - Keith E. Schubert
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Baylor University, Waco, Texas
| | - Richard J. Gillams
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
- Electronics and Computer Science, Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Stanley M. Awramik
- Department of Earth Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California
| | - Penelope J. Boston
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
| | - Dina M. Bower
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland College Park (CRESST), College Park, Maryland
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | | | - Jack D. Farmer
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Tony Z. Jia
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Penelope L. King
- Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Robert M. Hazen
- Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Richard J. Léveillé
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Geosciences Department, John Abbott College, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Canada
| | - Dominic Papineau
- London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Centre for Planetary Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- BioGeology and Environmental Geology State Key Laboratory, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Kaitlin R. Rempfert
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Mónica Sánchez-Román
- Earth Sciences Department, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - John R. Spear
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado
| | - Gordon Southam
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Henderson James Cleaves
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
- Program in Interdisciplinary Studies, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Origin of Terrestrial Bioorganic Homochirality and Symmetry Breaking in the Universe. Symmetry (Basel) 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/sym11070919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The origin of terrestrial bioorganic homochirality is one of the most important and unresolved problems in the study of chemical evolution prior to the origin of terrestrial life. One hypothesis advocated in the context of astrobiology is that polarized quantum radiation in space, such as circularly polarized photons or spin-polarized leptons, induced asymmetric chemical and physical conditions in the primitive interstellar media (the cosmic scenario). Another advocated hypothesis in the context of symmetry breaking in the universe is that the bioorganic asymmetry is intrinsically derived from the chiral asymmetric properties of elementary particles, that is, parity violation in the weak interaction (the intrinsic scenario). In this paper, the features of these two scenarios are discussed and approaches to validate them are reviewed.
Collapse
|
20
|
Garcia AD, Meinert C, Sugahara H, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Meierhenrich UJ. The Astrophysical Formation of Asymmetric Molecules and the Emergence of a Chiral Bias. Life (Basel) 2019; 9:E29. [PMID: 30884807 PMCID: PMC6463258 DOI: 10.3390/life9010029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The biomolecular homochirality in living organisms has been investigated for decades, but its origin remains poorly understood. It has been shown that circular polarized light (CPL) and other energy sources are capable of inducing small enantiomeric excesses (ees) in some primary biomolecules, such as amino acids or sugars. Since the first findings of amino acids in carbonaceous meteorites, a scenario in which essential chiral biomolecules originate in space and are delivered by celestial bodies has arisen. Numerous studies have thus focused on their detection, identification, and enantiomeric excess calculations in extraterrestrial matrices. In this review we summarize the discoveries in amino acids, sugars, and organophosphorus compounds in meteorites, comets, and laboratory-simulated interstellar ices. Based on available analytical data, we also discuss their interactions with CPL in the ultraviolet (UV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) regions, their abiotic chiral or achiral synthesis, and their enantiomeric distribution. Without doubt, further laboratory investigations and upcoming space missions are required to shed more light on our potential extraterrestrial molecular origins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adrien D Garcia
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
| | - Haruna Sugahara
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency⁻Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuo Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan.
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Uwe J Meierhenrich
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Miyagawa S, Aiba S, Kawamoto H, Tokunaga Y, Kawasaki T. Absolute asymmetric Strecker synthesis in a mixed aqueous medium: reliable access to enantioenriched α-aminonitrile. Org Biomol Chem 2019; 17:1238-1244. [PMID: 30656321 DOI: 10.1039/c8ob03092h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Without using chiral sources, the Strecker reaction of achiral hydrogen cyanide, p-tolualdehyde and benzhydrylamine gave enantioenriched l- or d-N-benzhydryl-α-(p-tolyl)glycine nitriles with up to >99% ee in a mixed solvent of water and methanol. Therefore, total spontaneous resolution of α-aminonitriles could occur through a prebiotic mechanism of α-amino acid synthesis. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the repetition of partial dissolution and crystallization of a suspended conglomerate of aminonitrile under solution-phase racemization could generate the enantiomeric imbalance to afford, in combination with the amplification of chirality, an enantioenriched product in every case. Among the 73 experiments that were carried out, d- and l-enriched isomers occurred 36 and 37 times, respectively. This stochastic behavior, under achiral or racemic starting conditions, meets the requirements of the spontaneous absolute asymmetric Strecker synthesis. The implications of the present results for the origin of chirality of α-amino acids are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shinobu Miyagawa
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Fukui, Bunkyo, Fukui, 910-8507, Japan
| | - Shohei Aiba
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Fukui, Bunkyo, Fukui, 910-8507, Japan
| | - Hajime Kawamoto
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Fukui, Bunkyo, Fukui, 910-8507, Japan
| | - Yuji Tokunaga
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Fukui, Bunkyo, Fukui, 910-8507, Japan
| | - Tsuneomi Kawasaki
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8601, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Control over the emerging chirality in supramolecular gels and solutions by chiral microvortices in milliseconds. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2599. [PMID: 29968753 PMCID: PMC6030102 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05017-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The origin of homochirality in life is a fundamental mystery. Symmetry breaking and subsequent amplification of chiral bias are regarded as one of the underlying mechanisms. However, the selection and control of initial chiral bias in a spontaneous mirror symmetry breaking process remains a great challenge. Here we show experimental evidences that laminar chiral microvortices generated within asymmetric microchambers can lead to a hydrodynamic selection of initial chiral bias of supramolecular systems composed of exclusively achiral molecules within milliseconds. The self-assembled nuclei with the chirality sign affected by the shear force of enantiomorphic microvortices are subsequently amplified into almost absolutely chirality-controlled supramolecular gels or nanotubes. In contrast, turbulent vortices in stirring cuvettes fail to select the chirality of supramolecular gels. This study reveals that a laminar chiral microflow can induce enantioselection far from equilibrium, and provides an insight on the origin of natural homochirality. Symmetry breaking and chiral amplification are fundamental principles in chemistry and biology but the control of initial chiral bias remains a great challenge. Here the authors show that chiral microvortices can lead to a selection of initial chiral bias of supramolecular systems composed of achiral molecules.
Collapse
|
23
|
Sites that Can Produce Left-handed Amino Acids in the Supernova Neutrino Amino Acid Processing Model. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aaad5f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
|
24
|
Famiano MA, Boyd RN, Kajino T, Onaka T. Selection of Amino Acid Chirality via Neutrino Interactions with 14N in Crossed Electric and Magnetic Fields. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:190-206. [PMID: 29160728 PMCID: PMC5820686 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Accepted: 09/03/2017] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Previous work has suggested that the chirality of the amino acids could be established in the magnetic field of a nascent neutron star from a core-collapse supernova or massive collapsar. The magnetic field would orient the 14N nuclei, and the alignment of its nuclear spin with respect to those of the electron antineutrinos emitted from the collapsing star would determine the probability of destruction of the 14N nuclei by interactions with the antineutrinos. Subsequent work estimated the bulk polarization of the 14N nuclei in large rotating meteoroids in such an environment. The present work adds a crucial piece of this model by describing the details by which the selective 14N nuclear destruction would produce molecular chiral selectivity. The effects of the neutrino-induced interactions on the 14N nuclei bound in amino acids polarized in strong magnetic fields are studied. It is shown that electric fields in the reference frame of the nuclei modify the magnetic field at the nucleus, creating nuclear magnetizations that are asymmetric in chirality. The antineutrino cross sections depend on this magnetization, creating a selective destructive effect. The environmental conditions and sites in which such a selection mechanism could occur are discussed. Selective destruction of D-enantiomers results in enantiomeric excesses which may be sufficient to drive subsequent autocatalysis necessary to produce the few-percent enantiomeric excesses found in meteorites and subsequent homochirality. Molecular quantum chemical calculations were performed for alanine, and the chirality-dependent effects studied were included. A preference for left-handed molecules was found, and enantiomeric excesses as high as 0.02% were estimated for molecules in the electromagnetic conditions expected from a core-collapse supernova. Key Words: Amino acids-Supernovae-Antineutrinos-Enantiomeric excess-Chirality. Astrobiology 18, 190-206.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael A. Famiano
- Department of Physics and Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Richard N. Boyd
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Physics, Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Toshitaka Kajino
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University (Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics), Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Takashi Onaka
- Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Sugahara H, Meinert C, Nahon L, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Hamase K, Takano Y, Meierhenrich UJ. d-Amino acids in molecular evolution in space - Absolute asymmetric photolysis and synthesis of amino acids by circularly polarized light. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2018; 1866:743-758. [PMID: 29357311 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2018.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Living organisms on the Earth almost exclusively use l-amino acids for the molecular architecture of proteins. The biological occurrence of d-amino acids is rare, although their functions in various organisms are being gradually understood. A possible explanation for the origin of biomolecular homochirality is the delivery of enantioenriched molecules via extraterrestrial bodies, such as asteroids and comets on early Earth. For the asymmetric formation of amino acids and their precursor molecules in interstellar environments, the interaction with circularly polarized photons is considered to have played a potential role in causing chiral asymmetry. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the investigation of chirality transfer from chiral photons to amino acids involving the two major processes of asymmetric photolysis and asymmetric synthesis. We will discuss analytical data on cometary and meteoritic amino acids and their potential impact delivery to the early Earth. The ongoing and future ambitious space missions, Hayabusa2, OSIRIS-REx, ExoMars 2020, and MMX, are scheduled to provide new insights into the chirality of extraterrestrial organic molecules and their potential relation to the terrestrial homochirality. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: d-Amino acids: biology in the mirror, edited by Dr. Loredano Pollegioni, Dr. Jean-Pierre Mothet and Dr. Molla Gianluca.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haruna Sugahara
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France
| | - Laurent Nahon
- L'Orme des Merisiers, Synchrotron SOLEIL, BP 48 Saint Aubin, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Kenji Hamase
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Takano
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan
| | - Uwe J Meierhenrich
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
FUJIKI M. Creation and Controlling Asymmetric Small Molecules, Polymers, Colloids, and Small Objects Endowed with Polarized Light and Spin Polarized Particles. KOBUNSHI RONBUNSHU 2017. [DOI: 10.1295/koron.2016-0059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michiya FUJIKI
- Graduate School of Materials Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Mimura Y, Nishikawa T, Fuchino R, Nakai S, Tajima N, Kitamatsu M, Fujiki M, Imai Y. Circularly polarised luminescence of pyrenyl di- and tri-peptides with mixed d- and l-amino acid residues. Org Biomol Chem 2017; 15:4548-4553. [DOI: 10.1039/c7ob00503b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Multiple pyrenes as pendants of enantioimpure di-/tripeptides showed pyrene-origin CPL and CD signals, which were associated with conflicting CPL-/CD-signs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Mimura
- Department of Applied Chemistry
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Kindai University
- Higashi-Osaka
- Japan
| | - Tomoki Nishikawa
- Department of Applied Chemistry
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Kindai University
- Higashi-Osaka
- Japan
| | - Ryo Fuchino
- Department of Applied Chemistry
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Kindai University
- Higashi-Osaka
- Japan
| | - Shiho Nakai
- Department of Applied Chemistry
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Kindai University
- Higashi-Osaka
- Japan
| | - Nobuo Tajima
- Computational Materials Science Center
- National Institute for Materials Science 1-2-1 Sengen
- Tsukuba
- Japan
| | - Mizuki Kitamatsu
- Department of Applied Chemistry
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Kindai University
- Higashi-Osaka
- Japan
| | - Michiya Fujiki
- Graduate School of Materials Science
- Nara Institute of Science and Technology
- Ikoma
- Japan
| | - Yoshitane Imai
- Department of Applied Chemistry
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Kindai University
- Higashi-Osaka
- Japan
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Meinert C, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Meierhenrich UJ. Anisotropy spectroscopy of chiral alcohols, amines, and monocarboxylic acids: Implications for the analyses of extraterrestrial samples. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochem.2015.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
|
29
|
Managadze GG, Engel MH, Getty S, Wurz P, Brinckerhoff WB, Shokolov AG, Sholin GV, Terent’ev SA, Chumikov AE, Skalkin AS, Blank VD, Prokhorov VM, Managadze NG, Luchnikov KA. Excess of L-alanine in amino acids synthesized in a plasma torch generated by a hypervelocity meteorite impact reproduced in the Laboratory. PLANETARY AND SPACE SCIENCE 2016; 131:70-78. [PMID: 32818000 PMCID: PMC7430501 DOI: 10.1016/j.pss.2016.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We present a laboratory reproduction of hypervelocity impacts of a carbon containing meteorite on a mineral substance representative of planetary surfaces. The physical conditions of the resulting impact plasma torch provide favorable conditions for abiogenic synthesis of protein amino acids: We identified glycine and alanine, and in smaller quantities serine, in the produced material. Moreover, we observe breaking of alanine mirror symmetry with L excess, which coincides with the bioorganic world. Therefore the selection of L-amino acids for the formation of proteins for living matter could have been the result from plasma processes occurring during the impact meteorites on the surface. This indicates that the plasma torch from meteorite impacts could play an important role in the formation of biomolecular homochirality. Thus, meteorite impacts possibly were the initial stage of this process and promoted conditions for the emergence of a living matter.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael H. Engel
- School of Geology and Geophysics, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | | | - Peter Wurz
- Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | - Sergey A. Terent’ev
- Technological Institute for Super hard and Novel Carbon Materials, Moscow, Russia
| | | | | | - Vladimir D. Blank
- Technological Institute for Super hard and Novel Carbon Materials, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Nina G. Managadze
- Space Research Institute, Profsoyuznaya, st. 84/32, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Myrgorodska I, Meinert C, Hoffmann SV, Jones NC, Nahon L, Meierhenrich UJ. Light on Chirality: Absolute Asymmetric Formation of Chiral Molecules Relevant in Prebiotic Evolution. Chempluschem 2016; 82:74-87. [DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201600214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Iuliia Myrgorodska
- Institut de Chimie de Nice ICN, UMR CNRS 7272; Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, Faculté des Sciences; Parc Valrose 06108 Nice France
- Synchrotron SOLEIL; L'Orme des Merisiers; BP 48 Saint Aubin 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette France
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice ICN, UMR CNRS 7272; Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, Faculté des Sciences; Parc Valrose 06108 Nice France
| | - Søren V. Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy; Aarhus University; 8000 Aarhus C Denmark
| | - Nykola C. Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy; Aarhus University; 8000 Aarhus C Denmark
| | - Laurent Nahon
- Synchrotron SOLEIL; L'Orme des Merisiers; BP 48 Saint Aubin 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette France
| | - Uwe J. Meierhenrich
- Institut de Chimie de Nice ICN, UMR CNRS 7272; Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, Faculté des Sciences; Parc Valrose 06108 Nice France
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
|
32
|
Myrgorodska I, Meinert C, Martins Z, Le Sergeant d'Hendecourt L, Meierhenrich UJ. Molekülchiralität in Meteoriten und interstellarem Eis und das Chiralitätsexperiment an Bord der Kometenmission Rosetta der ESA. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201409354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
|
33
|
Myrgorodska I, Meinert C, Martins Z, Le Sergeant d'Hendecourt L, Meierhenrich UJ. Molecular chirality in meteorites and interstellar ices, and the chirality experiment on board the ESA cometary Rosetta mission. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2014; 54:1402-12. [PMID: 25431250 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201409354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Life, as it is known to us, uses exclusively L-amino acid and D-sugar enantiomers for the molecular architecture of proteins and nucleic acids. This Minireview explores current models of the original symmetry-breaking influence that led to the exogenic delivery to Earth of prebiotic molecules with a slight enantiomeric excess. We provide a short overview of enantiomeric enhancements detected in bodies of extraterrestrial origin, such as meteorites, and interstellar ices simulated in the laboratory. Data are interpreted from different points of view, namely, photochirogenesis, parity violation in the weak nuclear interaction, and enantioenrichment through phase transitions. Photochemically induced enantiomeric imbalances are discussed more specifically in the topical context of the "chirality module" on board the cometary Rosetta spacecraft of the ESA. This device will perform the first enantioselective in situ analyses of samples taken from a cometary nucleus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Iuliia Myrgorodska
- Institut de Chimie de Nice ICN, UMR CNRS 7272, Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, Faculté des Sciences, Parc Valrose, 06108, Nice (France) http://www.unice.fr/meierhenrich/
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Bredehöft JH, Jones NC, Meinert C, Evans AC, Hoffmann SV, Meierhenrich UJ. Understanding Photochirogenesis: Solvent Effects on Circular Dichroism and Anisotropy Spectroscopy. Chirality 2014; 26:373-8. [DOI: 10.1002/chir.22329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2014] [Accepted: 03/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Nykola C. Jones
- ISA, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy; Aarhus University; Aarhus Denmark
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice ICN; Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis; Nice France
| | - Amanda C. Evans
- Institut de Chimie de Nice ICN; Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis; Nice France
- University of Cambridge; Murray Edwards College; Cambridge United Kingdom
| | - Søren V. Hoffmann
- ISA, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy; Aarhus University; Aarhus Denmark
| | - Uwe J. Meierhenrich
- Institut de Chimie de Nice ICN; Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis; Nice France
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Tia M, Cunha de Miranda B, Daly S, Gaie-Levrel F, Garcia GA, Nahon L, Powis I. VUV photodynamics and chiral asymmetry in the photoionization of gas phase alanine enantiomers. J Phys Chem A 2014; 118:2765-79. [PMID: 24654892 DOI: 10.1021/jp5016142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The valence shell photoionization of the simplest proteinaceous chiral amino acid, alanine, is investigated over the vacuum ultraviolet region from its ionization threshold up to 18 eV. Tunable and variable polarization synchrotron radiation was coupled to a double imaging photoelectron/photoion coincidence (i(2)PEPICO) spectrometer to produce mass-selected threshold photoelectron spectra and derive the state-selected fragmentation channels. The photoelectron circular dichroism (PECD), an orbital-sensitive, conformer-dependent chiroptical effect, was also recorded at various photon energies and compared to continuum multiple scattering calculations. Two complementary vaporization methods-aerosol thermodesorption and a resistively heated sample oven coupled to an adiabatic expansion-were applied to promote pure enantiomers of alanine into the gas phase, yielding neutral alanine with different internal energy distributions. A comparison of the photoelectron spectroscopy, fragmentation, and dichroism measured for each of the vaporization methods was rationalized in terms of internal energy and conformer populations and supported by theoretical calculations. The analytical potential of the so-called PECD-PICO detection technique-where the electron spectroscopy and circular dichroism can be obtained as a function of mass and ion translational energy-is underlined and applied to characterize the origin of the various species found in the experimental mass spectra. Finally, the PECD findings are discussed within an astrochemical context, and possible implications regarding the origin of biomolecular asymmetry are identified.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maurice Tia
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, l'Orme des Merisiers, Saint Aubin BP 48, 91192 Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
36
|
Meinert C, Meierhenrich UJ. Derivatization and Multidimensional Gas-Chromatographic Resolution of α-Alkyl and α-Dialkyl Amino Acid Enantiomers. Chempluschem 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
|
37
|
|
38
|
Meinert C, Hoffmann SV, Cassam-Chenaï P, Evans AC, Giri C, Nahon L, Meierhenrich UJ. Photonenergy-Controlled Symmetry Breaking with Circularly Polarized Light. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201307855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
|
39
|
Meinert C, Hoffmann SV, Cassam-Chenaï P, Evans AC, Giri C, Nahon L, Meierhenrich UJ. Photonenergy-Controlled Symmetry Breaking with Circularly Polarized Light. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2013; 53:210-4. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201307855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
|
40
|
Ruiz-Mirazo K, Briones C, de la Escosura A. Prebiotic Systems Chemistry: New Perspectives for the Origins of Life. Chem Rev 2013; 114:285-366. [DOI: 10.1021/cr2004844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 563] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kepa Ruiz-Mirazo
- Biophysics
Unit (CSIC-UPV/EHU), Leioa, and Department of Logic and Philosophy
of Science, University of the Basque Country, Avenida de Tolosa 70, 20080 Donostia−San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Carlos Briones
- Department
of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC−INTA, associated to the NASA Astrobiology Institute), Carretera de Ajalvir, Km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
| | - Andrés de la Escosura
- Organic
Chemistry Department, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Nishino H, Hosaka M, Katoh M, Inoue Y. Photoreaction of rac-leucine in ice by circularly polarized synchrotron radiation: temperature-induced mechanism switching from Norrish Type II to deamination. Chemistry 2013; 19:13929-36. [PMID: 24038443 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201301831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2013] [Revised: 07/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The delivery of extraterrestrial organics to primitive Earth is considered to have triggered the origin and subsequent evolution of life. Indeed, enantiomerically enriched amino acids of nonterrestrial origin have been found in carbonaceous meteorites, and enantioselective photodecomposition by circularly polarized light (CPL) in outer space has been proposed to have played some role in the initial enantiomeric bias. To experimentally examine this possibility and elucidate the photoreaction mechanisms, we have studied the photolysis of racemic leucine (rac-Leu) in acidic and neutral ice/water media at 21-298 K with left- and right-CPL in an attempt to detect enantiomerically enriched D- and L-Leu, respectively. Comprehensive product analyses revealed that the CPL-induced deracemization of Leu proceeds in both acidic and neutral ice matrices even at 21 K, and that the main mechanism switches from Norrish-type II γ-hydrogen abstraction to SN i deamination on lowering the temperature. The potential role of the CPL-induced photodecomposition of amino acids as a source of the enantiomer imbalance in meteorites is discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hideo Nishino
- Entropy Control Project (Japan) Science and Technology Agency; Osaka Municipal Technical Research Institute, 1-6-50 Morinomiya, Joto-ku, Osaka 536-8553 (Japan)
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
42
|
Stability toward High Energy Radiation of Non-Proteinogenic Amino Acids: Implications for the Origins of Life. Life (Basel) 2013; 3:449-73. [PMID: 25369815 PMCID: PMC4187172 DOI: 10.3390/life3030449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2013] [Revised: 05/15/2013] [Accepted: 07/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A series of non-proteinogenic amino acids, most of them found quite commonly in the meteorites known as carbonaceous chondrites, were subjected to solid state radiolysis in vacuum to a total radiation dose of 3.2 MGy corresponding to 23% of the total dose expected to be taken by organic molecules buried in asteroids and meteorites since the beginning of the solar system 4.6 × 109 years ago. The radiolyzed amino acids were studied by FT-IR spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and by polarimety and Optical Rotatory Dispersion (ORD). It is shown that an important fraction of each amino acid is able to “survive” the massive dose of radiation, while the enantiomeric excess is partially preserved. Based on the results obtained, it is concluded that it is unsurprising to find amino acids even in enantiomeric excess in carbonaceous chondrites.
Collapse
|
43
|
Goto T, Ikehata A, Morisawa Y, Ozaki Y. Electronic Transitions of Protonated and Deprotonated Amino Acids in Aqueous Solution in the Region 145–300 nm Studied by Attenuated Total Reflection Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopy. J Phys Chem A 2013; 117:2517-28. [DOI: 10.1021/jp4008416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Takeyoshi Goto
- National Food Research Institute, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8642, Japan
| | - Akifumi Ikehata
- National Food Research Institute, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8642, Japan
| | - Yusuke Morisawa
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science
and Engineering, Kinki University, Higashiosaka,
Osaka 577-8502, Japan
| | - Yukihiro Ozaki
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Kwansei Gakuin University, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1337, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Recent Advancements in Chiral Porphyrin Self-Assembly. TOPICS IN HETEROCYCLIC CHEMISTRY 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/7081_2013_110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
|
45
|
Evans AC, Meinert C, Bredehöft JH, Giri C, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Meierhenrich UJ. Anisotropy Spectra for Enantiomeric Differentiation of Biomolecular Building Blocks. Top Curr Chem (Cham) 2013; 341:271-99. [DOI: 10.1007/128_2013_442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
|
46
|
Danger G, Plasson R, Pascal R. Pathways for the formation and evolution of peptides in prebiotic environments. Chem Soc Rev 2012; 41:5416-29. [PMID: 22688720 DOI: 10.1039/c2cs35064e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
α-Amino acids are easily accessible through abiotic processes and were likely present before the emergence of life. However, the role they could have played in the process remains uncertain. Chemical pathways that could have brought about features of self-organization in a peptide world are considered in this review and discussed in relation with their possible contribution to the origin of life. An overall scheme is proposed with an emphasis on possibilities that may have led to dynamically stable far from equilibrium states. This analysis defines new lines of investigation towards a better understanding of the contribution of the systems chemistry of amino acids and peptides to the emergence of life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Grégoire Danger
- Spectrométries et Dynamique Moléculaire, Physique des Interactions Ioniques et Moléculaires (UMR CNRS 7345, Université de Provence) - Centre de St Jérôme - case 252, Avenue Escadrille Normandie-Niémen, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Bertrand M, Chabin A, Brack A, Cottin H, Chaput D, Westall F. The PROCESS experiment: exposure of amino acids in the EXPOSE-E experiment on the international space station and in laboratory simulations. ASTROBIOLOGY 2012; 12:426-435. [PMID: 22680689 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2011.0755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
To understand the chemical behavior of organic molecules in the space environment, amino acids and a dipeptide in pure form and embedded in meteorite powder were exposed in the PROCESS experiment in the EXPOSE-E facility mounted on the European Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF) platform on board the International Space Station (ISS). After exposure to space conditions for 18 months, the samples were returned to Earth and analyzed in the laboratory for reactions caused by solar UV and cosmic radiation. Chemical degradation and possible racemization and oligomerization, the main reactions caused by photochemistry in the vacuum ultraviolet domain (VUV, wavelength range 100-200 nm for photon energy from 6.2 to 12.4 eV) were examined in particular. The molecules were extracted and derivatized by silylation and analyzed by gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC-MS) to quantify the rate of the degradation of the compounds. Laboratory exposure in several wavelength ranges from UV to VUV was carried out in parallel in the Cologne Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) Center and Centre de biophysique moléculaire (CBM) laboratories. The results show that resistance to irradiation is a function of the chemical nature of the exposed molecules and the wavelengths of the UV light. The most altered compounds were the dipeptide, aspartic acid, and aminobutyric acid. The most resistant were alanine, valine, glycine, and aminoisobutyric acid. Our results also demonstrate the protective effect of meteorite powder, which reemphasizes the importance of exogenic contribution to the inventory of prebiotic organics on early Earth.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Bertrand
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS, rue Charles Sadron, Orléans cedex 2, France.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
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]
|
49
|
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]
|
50
|
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]
|