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Hlouchová K. Peptides En Route from Prebiotic to Biotic Catalysis. Acc Chem Res 2024. [PMID: 39016062 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.4c00137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
ConspectusIn the quest to understand prebiotic catalysis, different molecular entities, mainly minerals, metal ions, organic cofactors, and ribozymes, have been implied as key players. Of these, inorganic and organic cofactors have gained attention for their ability to catalyze a wide array of reactions central to modern metabolism and frequently participate in these reactions within modern enzymes. Nevertheless, bridging the gap between prebiotic and modern metabolism remains a fundamental question in the origins of life.In this Account, peptides are investigated as a potential bridge linking prebiotic catalysis by minerals/cofactors to enzymes that dominate modern life's chemical reactions. Before ribosomal synthesis emerged, peptides of random sequences were plausible on early Earth. This was made possible by different sources of amino acid delivery and synthesis, as well as their condensation under a variety of conditions. Early peptides and proteins probably exhibited distinct compositions, enriched in small aliphatic and acidic residues. An increase in abundance of amino acids with larger side chains and canonical basic groups was most likely dependent on the emergence of their more challenging (bio)synthesis. Pressing questions thus arise: how did this composition influence the early peptide properties, and to what extent could they contribute to early metabolism?Recent research from our group and colleagues shows that highly acidic peptides/proteins comprising only the presumably "early" amino acids are in fact competent at secondary structure formation and even possess adaptive folding characteristics such as spontaneous refoldability and chaperone independence to achieve soluble structures. Moreover, we showed that highly acidic proteins of presumably "early" composition can still bind RNA by utilizing metal ions as cofactors to bridge carboxylate and phosphoester functional groups. And finally, ancient organic cofactors were shown to be capable of binding to sequences from amino acids considered prebiotically plausible, supporting their folding properties and providing functional groups, which would nominate them as catalytic hubs of great prebiotic relevance.These findings underscore the biochemical plausibility of an early peptide/protein world devoid of more complex amino acids yet collaborating with other catalytic species. Drawing from the mechanistic properties of protein-cofactor catalysis, it is speculated here that the early peptide/protein-cofactor ensemble could facilitate a similar range of chemical reactions, albeit with lower catalytic rates. This hypothesis invites a systematic experimental test.Nonetheless, this Account does not exclude other scenarios of prebiotic-to-biotic catalysis or prioritize any specific pathways of prebiotic syntheses. The objective is to examine peptide availability, composition, and functional potential among the various factors involved in the emergence of early life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klára Hlouchová
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague 12800, Czech Republic
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 16610, Czech Republic
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Thøgersen J, Madzharova F, Weidner T, Jensen F. Deep-Ultraviolet Photoexcitation of Aqueous Urea Forms Carbamic Acid/Carbamate in Less Than One Picosecond. Chemistry 2024; 30:e202400728. [PMID: 38804868 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202400728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Urea is believed to have been essential to the synthesis of prebiotic nucleotides and thereby the RNA or DNA of the first lifeforms. Models suggesting that life began in wet-dry cycles around shallow aquatic ponds imply that reactants such as urea were exposed to deep ultraviolet irradiation from the young sun. Detrimental photodissociation of urea induced by deep UV excitation potentially challenges these models. We here follow the primary deep ultraviolet photochemistry of aqueous urea. The data show that urea is barely excited at 200 nm due to weak ultraviolet absorption. The likelihood of photodissociation is further reduced by strong intra-molecular coupling of the CN and CO stretch vibrations accompanied by an efficient dissipation of the excitation energy to the surrounding water molecules mitigated by urea-water hydrogen bonds. We find that 54±5 % of the excited urea molecules dissociate. Reactions between the photoproducts and surrounding solvent molecules form carbamic acid or the carbamate anions within 0.6 ps. The molecules that do not dissociate return to the electronic ground state in 2 ps. Interestingly, the photodissociation processes of urea in the aqueous phase is different from earlier reported reactions observed following the VUV photolysis of urea in noble gas matrices and highlight the potential influence of water on the prebiotic photochemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Thøgersen
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Fani Madzharova
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Tobias Weidner
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Frank Jensen
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 140, Aarhus, Denmark
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Spizzichino S, Di Fonzo F, Marabelli C, Tramonti A, Chaves-Sanjuan A, Parroni A, Boumis G, Liberati FR, Paone A, Montemiglio LC, Ardini M, Jakobi AJ, Bharadwaj A, Swuec P, Tartaglia GG, Paiardini A, Contestabile R, Mai A, Rotili D, Fiorentino F, Macone A, Giorgi A, Tria G, Rinaldo S, Bolognesi M, Giardina G, Cutruzzolà F. Structure-based mechanism of riboregulation of the metabolic enzyme SHMT1. Mol Cell 2024:S1097-2765(24)00523-9. [PMID: 38996576 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
RNA can directly control protein activity in a process called riboregulation; only a few mechanisms of riboregulation have been described in detail, none of which have been characterized on structural grounds. Here, we present a comprehensive structural, functional, and phylogenetic analysis of riboregulation of cytosolic serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT1), the enzyme interconverting serine and glycine in one-carbon metabolism. We have determined the cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of human SHMT1 in its free- and RNA-bound states, and we show that the RNA modulator competes with polyglutamylated folates and acts as an allosteric switch, selectively altering the enzyme's reactivity vs. serine. In addition, we identify the tetrameric assembly and a flap structural motif as key structural elements necessary for binding of RNA to eukaryotic SHMT1. The results presented here suggest that riboregulation may have played a role in evolution of eukaryotic SHMT1 and in compartmentalization of one-carbon metabolism. Our findings provide insights for RNA-based therapeutic strategies targeting this cancer-linked metabolic pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Spizzichino
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Di Fonzo
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Marabelli
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, Via Forlanini 3, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Angela Tramonti
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National Research Council, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Chaves-Sanjuan
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy; Fondazione Romeo e Enrica Invernizzi and NOLIMITS, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessia Parroni
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National Research Council, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanna Boumis
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Romana Liberati
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessio Paone
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Linda Celeste Montemiglio
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National Research Council, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Ardini
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Arjen J Jakobi
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Deft, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg, 92629 HZ Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Alok Bharadwaj
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Deft, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg, 92629 HZ Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Paolo Swuec
- CryoElectron Microscopy Facility, Human Technopole, Viale Rita Levi-Montalcini 1, 20157 Milan, Italy
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Centre for Human Technologies (CHT), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Via Enrico Melen, 83, 16152 Genova, Italy; Department of Biology "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Paiardini
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Roberto Contestabile
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonello Mai
- Department of Drug Chemistry and Technologies, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Dante Rotili
- Department of Drug Chemistry and Technologies, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Fiorentino
- Department of Drug Chemistry and Technologies, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Alberto Macone
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Giorgi
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Tria
- CNR Institute of Crystallography - URT Caserta c/o Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche (DiSTABiF), Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Serena Rinaldo
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Martino Bolognesi
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy; Fondazione Romeo e Enrica Invernizzi and NOLIMITS, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgio Giardina
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
| | - Francesca Cutruzzolà
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
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Prosdocimi F, de Farias ST. Major evolutionary transitions before cells: A journey from molecules to organisms. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 191:11-24. [PMID: 38971326 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2024.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2024] [Revised: 05/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
Basing on logical assumptions and necessary steps of complexification along biological evolution, we propose here an evolutionary path from molecules to cells presenting four ages and three major transitions. At the first age, the basic biomolecules were formed and become abundant. The first transition happened with the event of a chemical symbiosis between nucleic acids and peptides worlds, which marked the emergence of both life and the process of organic encoding. FUCA, the first living process, was composed of self-replicating RNAs linked to amino acids and capable to catalyze their binding. The second transition, from the age of FUCA to the age of progenotes, involved the duplication and recombination of proto-genomes, leading to specialization in protein production and the exploration of protein to metabolite interactions in the prebiotic soup. Enzymes and metabolic pathways were incorporated into biology from protobiotic reactions that occurred without chemical catalysts, step by step. Then, the fourth age brought origin of organisms and lineages, occurring when specific proteins capable to stackle together facilitated the formation of peptidic capsids. LUCA was constituted as a progenote capable to operate the basic metabolic functions of a cell, but still unable to interact with lipid molecules. We present evidence that the evolution of lipid interaction pathways occurred at least twice, with the development of bacterial-like and archaeal-like membranes. Also, data in literature suggest at least two paths for the emergence of DNA biosynthesis, allowing the stabilization of early life strategies in viruses, archaeas and bacterias. Two billion years later, the eukaryotes arouse, and after 1,5 billion years of evolution, they finally learn how to evolve multicellularity via tissue specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Prosdocimi
- Laboratório de Biologia Teórica e de Sistemas, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Sávio Torres de Farias
- Laboratório de Genética Evolutiva Paulo Leminski, Centro de Ciências Exatas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil; Network of Researchers on the Chemical Evolution of Life (NoRCEL), Leeds, LS7 3RB, UK
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5
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Moreno A, Bonduelle C. New Insights on the Chemical Origin of Life: The Role of Aqueous Polymerization of N-carboxyanhydrides (NCA). Chempluschem 2024; 89:e202300492. [PMID: 38264807 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202300492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
At the origin, the emergence of proteins was based on crucial prebiotic stages in which simple amino acids-based building blocks spontaneously evolved from the prebiotic soup into random proto-polymers called protoproteins. Despite advances in modern peptide synthesis, these prebiotic chemical routes to protoproteins remain puzzling. We discuss in this perspective how polymer science and systems chemistry are reaching a point of convergence in which simple monomers called N-carboxyanhydrides would be able to form such protoproteins via the emergence of a protometabolic cycle involving aqueous polymerization and featuring macromolecular Darwinism behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abel Moreno
- Instituto de Quimica, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacan, 04510, Mexico DF
| | - Colin Bonduelle
- CNRS, Bordeaux INP, LCPO UMR5629, Univ. Bordeaux, 33600, Pessac, France
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6
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Kirschning A. Why pyridoxal phosphate could be a functional predecessor of thiamine pyrophosphate and speculations on a primordial metabolism. RSC Chem Biol 2024; 5:508-517. [PMID: 38846080 PMCID: PMC11151856 DOI: 10.1039/d4cb00016a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The account attempts to substantiate the hypothesis that, from an evolutionary perspective, the coenzyme couple pyridoxal phosphate and pyridoxamine phosphate preceded the coenzyme thiamine pyrophosphate and acted as its less efficient chemical analogue in some form of early metabolism. The analysis combines mechanism-based chemical reactivity with biosynthetic arguments and provides evidence that vestiges of "TPP-like reactivity" are still found for PLP today. From these thoughts, conclusions can be drawn about the key elements of a primordial form of metabolism, which includes the citric acid cycle, amino acid biosynthesis and the pentose phosphate pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Kirschning
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Leibniz University Hannover, Schneiderberg 1B 30167 Hannover Germany
- Uppsala Biomedical Center (BMC), University Uppsala, Husargatan 3 752 37 Uppsala Sweden
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7
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Fairchild J, Islam S, Singh J, Bučar DK, Powner MW. Prebiotically plausible chemoselective pantetheine synthesis in water. Science 2024; 383:911-918. [PMID: 38386754 DOI: 10.1126/science.adk4432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Coenzyme A (CoA) is essential to all life on Earth, and its functional subunit, pantetheine, is important in many origin-of-life scenarios, but how pantetheine emerged on the early Earth remains a mystery. Earlier attempts to selectively synthesize pantetheine failed, leading to suggestions that "simpler" thiols must have preceded pantetheine at the origin of life. In this work, we report high-yielding and selective prebiotic syntheses of pantetheine in water. Chemoselective multicomponent aldol, iminolactone, and aminonitrile reactions delivered spontaneous differentiation of pantoic acid and proteinogenic amino acid syntheses, as well as the dihydroxyl, gem-dimethyl, and β-alanine-amide moieties of pantetheine in dilute water. Our results are consistent with a role for canonical pantetheine at the outset of life on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasper Fairchild
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Saidul Islam
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1H 0AJ, UK
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for the Physical Science of Life, King's College London, London SE1 1DB, UK
| | - Jyoti Singh
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | | | - Matthew W Powner
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1H 0AJ, UK
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Yu J, Darú A, Deng M, Blackmond DG. Prebiotic access to enantioenriched amino acids via peptide-mediated transamination reactions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2315447121. [PMID: 38315856 PMCID: PMC10873602 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2315447121] [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: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The kinetic resolution of racemic amino acids mediated by dipeptides and pyridoxal provides a prebiotically plausible route to enantioenriched proteinogenic amino acids. The enzymatic transamination cycles that are key to modern biochemical formation of enantiopure amino acids may have evolved from this half of the reversible reaction couple. Kinetic resolution of racemic precursors emerges as a general route to enantioenrichment under prebiotic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinhan Yu
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA92037
| | - Andrea Darú
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA92037
| | - Min Deng
- Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA92037
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9
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Schoenmakers LLJ, Reydon TAC, Kirschning A. Evolution at the Origins of Life? Life (Basel) 2024; 14:175. [PMID: 38398684 PMCID: PMC10890241 DOI: 10.3390/life14020175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The role of evolutionary theory at the origin of life is an extensively debated topic. The origin and early development of life is usually separated into a prebiotic phase and a protocellular phase, ultimately leading to the Last Universal Common Ancestor. Most likely, the Last Universal Common Ancestor was subject to Darwinian evolution, but the question remains to what extent Darwinian evolution applies to the prebiotic and protocellular phases. In this review, we reflect on the current status of evolutionary theory in origins of life research by bringing together philosophy of science, evolutionary biology, and empirical research in the origins field. We explore the various ways in which evolutionary theory has been extended beyond biology; we look at how these extensions apply to the prebiotic development of (proto)metabolism; and we investigate how the terminology from evolutionary theory is currently being employed in state-of-the-art origins of life research. In doing so, we identify some of the current obstacles to an evolutionary account of the origins of life, as well as open up new avenues of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludo L. J. Schoenmakers
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research (KLI), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Thomas A. C. Reydon
- Institute of Philosophy, Centre for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences (CELLS), Leibniz University Hannover, 30159 Hannover, Germany;
| | - Andreas Kirschning
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Leibniz University Hannover, 30167 Hannover, Germany;
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Panter S, Ayekoi A, Tesche J, Chen J, Illarionov B, Bacher A, Fischer M, Weber S. Shining a Spotlight on Methyl Groups: Photochemically Induced Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Spectroscopy of 5-Deazariboflavin and Its Nor Analogs. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:848. [PMID: 38255921 PMCID: PMC10815406 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25020848] [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: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
5-Deazaflavins are analogs of naturally occurring flavin cofactors. They serve as substitutes for natural flavin cofactors to investigate and modify the reaction pathways of flavoproteins. Demethylated 5-deazaflavins are potential candidates for artificial cofactors, allowing us to fine-tune the reaction kinetics and absorption characteristics of flavoproteins. In this contribution, demethylated 5-deazariboflavin radicals are investigated (1) to assess the influence of the methyl groups on the electronic structure of the 5-deazaflavin radical and (2) to explore their photophysical properties with regard to their potential as artificial cofactors. We determined the proton hyperfine structure of demethylated 5-deazariboflavins using photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (photo-CIDNP) spectroscopy, as well as density functional theory (DFT). To provide context, we compare our findings to a study of flavin mononucleotide (FMN) derivatives. We found a significant influence of the methylation pattern on the absorption properties, as well as on the proton hyperfine coupling ratios of the xylene moiety, which appears to be solvent-dependent. This effect is enhanced by the replacement of N5 by C5-H in 5-deazaflavin derivatives compared to their respective flavin counterparts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Panter
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 21, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; (S.P.); (A.A.)
| | - Audrey Ayekoi
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 21, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; (S.P.); (A.A.)
| | - Jannis Tesche
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 21, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; (S.P.); (A.A.)
| | - Jing Chen
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 21, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; (S.P.); (A.A.)
| | - Boris Illarionov
- Institut für Lebensmittelchemie, Universität Hamburg, Grindelallee 117, 20146 Hamburg, Germany; (B.I.); (M.F.)
| | - Adelbert Bacher
- TUM School of Natural Sciences, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 4, 85747 Garching, Germany;
| | - Markus Fischer
- Institut für Lebensmittelchemie, Universität Hamburg, Grindelallee 117, 20146 Hamburg, Germany; (B.I.); (M.F.)
| | - Stefan Weber
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 21, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; (S.P.); (A.A.)
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Bou-Nader C, Pecqueur L, de Crécy-Lagard V, Hamdane D. Integrative Approach to Probe Alternative Redox Mechanisms in RNA Modifications. Acc Chem Res 2023; 56:3142-3152. [PMID: 37916403 PMCID: PMC10999249 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.3c00418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
RNA modifications found in most RNAs, particularly in tRNAs and rRNAs, reveal an abundance of chemical alterations of nucleotides. Over 150 distinct RNA modifications are known, emphasizing a remarkable diversity of chemical moieties in RNA molecules. These modifications play pivotal roles in RNA maturation, structural integrity, and the fidelity and efficiency of translation processes. The catalysts responsible for these modifications are RNA-modifying enzymes that use a striking array of chemistries to directly influence the chemical landscape of RNA. This diversity is further underscored by instances where the same modification is introduced by distinct enzymes that use unique catalytic mechanisms and cofactors across different domains of life. This phenomenon of convergent evolution highlights the biological importance of RNA modification and the vast potential within the chemical repertoire for nucleotide alteration. While shared RNA modifications can hint at conserved enzymatic pathways, a major bottleneck is to identify alternative routes within species that possess a modified RNA but are devoid of known RNA-modifying enzymes. To address this challenge, a combination of bioinformatic and experimental strategies proves invaluable in pinpointing new genes responsible for RNA modifications. This integrative approach not only unveils new chemical insights but also serves as a wellspring of inspiration for biocatalytic applications and drug design. In this Account, we present how comparative genomics and genome mining, combined with biomimetic synthetic chemistry, biochemistry, and anaerobic crystallography, can be judiciously implemented to address unprecedented and alternative chemical mechanisms in the world of RNA modification. We illustrate these integrative methodologies through the study of tRNA and rRNA modifications, dihydrouridine, 5-methyluridine, queuosine, 8-methyladenosine, 5-carboxymethylamino-methyluridine, or 5-taurinomethyluridine, each dependent on a diverse array of redox chemistries, often involving organic compounds, organometallic complexes, and metal coenzymes. We explore how vast genome and tRNA databases empower comparative genomic analyses and enable the identification of novel genes that govern RNA modification. Subsequently, we describe how the isolation of a stable reaction intermediate can guide the synthesis of a biomimetic to unveil new enzymatic pathways. We then discuss the usefulness of a biochemical "shunt" strategy to study catalytic mechanisms and to directly visualize reactive intermediates bound within active sites. While we primarily focus on various RNA-modifying enzymes studied in our laboratory, with a particular emphasis on the discovery of a SAM-independent methylation mechanism, the strategies and rationale presented herein are broadly applicable for the identification of new enzymes and the elucidation of their intricate chemistries. This Account offers a comprehensive glimpse into the evolving landscape of RNA modification research and highlights the pivotal role of integrated approaches to identify novel enzymatic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Bou-Nader
- Laboratoire de Chimie des Processus Biologiques, CNRS-UMR 8229, Collège De France, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
| | - Ludovic Pecqueur
- Laboratoire de Chimie des Processus Biologiques, CNRS-UMR 8229, Collège De France, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
| | - Valérie de Crécy-Lagard
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
- University of Florida, Genetics Institute, Gainesville, Florida, 32610, USA
| | - Djemel Hamdane
- Laboratoire de Chimie des Processus Biologiques, CNRS-UMR 8229, Collège De France, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
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12
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Suresh PS, Kumari S, Sahal D, Sharma U. Innate functions of natural products: A promising path for the identification of novel therapeutics. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 260:115748. [PMID: 37666044 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
In the course of evolution, living organisms have become well equipped with diverse natural products that serve important functions, including defence from biotic and abiotic stress, growth regulation, reproduction, metabolism, and epigenetic regulation. It seems to be the organism's ecological niche that influences the natural product's structural and functional diversity. Indeed, natural products constitute the nuts and bolts of molecular co-evolution and ecological relationships among different life forms. Since natural products in the form of specialized secondary metabolites exhibit biological functions via interactions with specific target proteins, they can provide a simultaneous glimpse of both new therapeutics and therapeutic targets in humans as well. In this review, we have discussed the innate role of natural products in the ecosystem and how this intrinsic role provides a futuristic opportunity to identify new drugs and therapeutic targets rapidly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patil Shivprasad Suresh
- C-H Activation & Phytochemistry Lab, Chemical Technology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Surekha Kumari
- C-H Activation & Phytochemistry Lab, Chemical Technology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Dinkar Sahal
- Malaria Drug Discovery Laboratory, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Upendra Sharma
- C-H Activation & Phytochemistry Lab, Chemical Technology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India.
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13
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Mrnjavac N, Wimmer JLE, Brabender M, Schwander L, Martin WF. The Moon-Forming Impact and the Autotrophic Origin of Life. Chempluschem 2023; 88:e202300270. [PMID: 37812146 PMCID: PMC7615287 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202300270] [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: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
The Moon-forming impact vaporized part of Earth's mantle, and turned the rest into a magma ocean, from which carbon dioxide degassed into the atmosphere, where it stayed until water rained out to form the oceans. The rain dissolved CO2 and made it available to react with transition metal catalysts in the Earth's crust so as to ultimately generate the organic compounds that form the backbone of microbial metabolism. The Moon-forming impact was key in building a planet with the capacity to generate life in that it converted carbon on Earth into a homogeneous and accessible substrate for organic synthesis. Today all ecosystems, without exception, depend upon primary producers, organisms that fix CO2 . According to theories of autotrophic origin, it has always been that way, because autotrophic theories posit that the first forms of life generated all the molecules needed to build a cell from CO2 , forging a direct line of continuity between Earth's initial CO2 -rich atmosphere and the first microorganisms. By modern accounts these were chemolithoautotrophic archaea and bacteria that initially colonized the crust and still inhabit that environment today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Mrnjavac
- Department of Biology Institute for Molecular Evolution Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf (Germany)
| | - Jessica L. E. Wimmer
- Department of Biology Institute for Molecular Evolution Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf (Germany)
| | - Max Brabender
- Department of Biology Institute for Molecular Evolution Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf (Germany)
| | - Loraine Schwander
- Department of Biology Institute for Molecular Evolution Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf (Germany)
| | - William F. Martin
- Department of Biology Institute for Molecular Evolution Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf (Germany)
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14
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Wörner J, Panter S, Illarionov B, Bacher A, Fischer M, Weber S. Expanding Reaction Horizons: Evidence of the 5-Deazaflavin Radical Through Photochemically Induced Dynamic Nuclear Polarization. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202309334. [PMID: 37571931 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202309334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Deazaflavins are important analogues of the naturally occurring flavins: riboflavin, flavin mononucleotide (FMN), and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). The use of 5-deazaflavin as a replacement coenzyme in a number of flavoproteins has proven particularly valuable in unraveling and manipulating their reaction mechanisms. It was frequently reported that one-electron-transfer reactions in flavoproteins are impeded with 5-deazaflavin as the cofactor. Based on these findings, it was concluded that the 5-deazaflavin radical is significantly less stable compared to the respective flavin semiquinone and quickly re-oxidizes or undergoes disproportionation. The long-standing paradigm of 5-deazaflavin being solely a two-electron/hydride acceptor/donor-"a nicotinamide in flavin clothing"-needs to be re-evaluated now with the indirect observation of a one-electron-reduced (paramagnetic) species using photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (photo-CIDNP) 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) under biologically relevant conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Wörner
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstraße 21, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sabrina Panter
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstraße 21, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Boris Illarionov
- Institut für Lebensmittelchemie, Universität Hamburg, Grindelallee 117, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Adelbert Bacher
- TUM School of Natural Sciences, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstraße 4, 85747, Garching, Germany
| | - Markus Fischer
- Institut für Lebensmittelchemie, Universität Hamburg, Grindelallee 117, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Weber
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Albertstraße 21, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
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15
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Schwander L, Brabender M, Mrnjavac N, Wimmer JLE, Preiner M, Martin WF. Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1257597. [PMID: 37854333 PMCID: PMC10581274 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1257597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Serpentinization in hydrothermal vents is central to some autotrophic theories for the origin of life because it generates compartments, reductants, catalysts and gradients. During the process of serpentinization, water circulates through hydrothermal systems in the crust where it oxidizes Fe (II) in ultramafic minerals to generate Fe (III) minerals and H2. Molecular hydrogen can, in turn, serve as a freely diffusible source of electrons for the reduction of CO2 to organic compounds, provided that suitable catalysts are present. Using catalysts that are naturally synthesized in hydrothermal vents during serpentinization H2 reduces CO2 to formate, acetate, pyruvate, and methane. These compounds represent the backbone of microbial carbon and energy metabolism in acetogens and methanogens, strictly anaerobic chemolithoautotrophs that use the acetyl-CoA pathway of CO2 fixation and that inhabit serpentinizing environments today. Serpentinization generates reduced carbon, nitrogen and - as newer findings suggest - reduced phosphorous compounds that were likely conducive to the origins process. In addition, it gives rise to inorganic microcompartments and proton gradients of the right polarity and of sufficient magnitude to support chemiosmotic ATP synthesis by the rotor-stator ATP synthase. This would help to explain why the principle of chemiosmotic energy harnessing is more conserved (older) than the machinery to generate ion gradients via pumping coupled to exergonic chemical reactions, which in the case of acetogens and methanogens involve H2-dependent CO2 reduction. Serpentinizing systems exist in terrestrial and deep ocean environments. On the early Earth they were probably more abundant than today. There is evidence that serpentinization once occurred on Mars and is likely still occurring on Saturn's icy moon Enceladus, providing a perspective on serpentinization as a source of reductants, catalysts and chemical disequilibrium for life on other worlds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loraine Schwander
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Max Brabender
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Natalia Mrnjavac
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jessica L. E. Wimmer
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Martina Preiner
- Microcosm Earth Center, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and Philipps-Universität, Marburg, Germany
| | - William F. Martin
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
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16
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Yang X, Cao D. DXO gears mRNA with alternative NAD and m 7G caps. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 28:1083-1085. [PMID: 37357082 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2023.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
NAD is a noncanonical mRNA cap that challenges our traditional dogma of N7-methylguanosine (m7G)-capped eukaryotic mRNAs. The relationship between NAD and m7G caps has been elusive. Xiao et al. find that the deNADding enzyme DXO promotes maturation of m7G caps, suggesting that DXO fine-tunes the dynamic balance between alternative RNA cap structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofei Yang
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Dechang Cao
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China.
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17
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Reja A, Pal S, Mahato K, Saha B, Delle Piane M, Pavan GM, Das D. Emergence of Photomodulated Protometabolism by Short Peptide-Based Assemblies. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:21114-21121. [PMID: 37708200 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c08158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
In the early Earth, rudimentary enzymes must have utilized the available light energy source to modulate protometabolic processes. Herein, we report the light-responsive C-C bond manipulation via short peptide-based assemblies bound to the photosensitive molecular cofactor (azo-based photoswitch) where the energy of the light source regulated the binding sites which subsequently modulated the retro-aldolase activity. In the presence of a continual source of high-energy photons, temporal realization of a catalytically more proficient state could be achieved under nonequilibrium conditions. Further, the hydrophobic surface of peptide assemblies facilitated the binding of an orthogonal molecular catalyst that showed augmented activity (promiscuous hydrolytic activity) upon binding. This latent activity was utilized for the in situ generation of light-sensitive cofactor that subsequently modulated the retro-aldolase activity, thus creating a reaction network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antara Reja
- Department of Chemical Sciences and CAFM, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, India
| | - Sumit Pal
- Department of Chemical Sciences and CAFM, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, India
| | - Kishalay Mahato
- Department of Chemical Sciences and CAFM, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, India
| | - Baishakhi Saha
- Department of Chemical Sciences and CAFM, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, India
| | - Massimo Delle Piane
- Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca Degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
| | - Giovanni M Pavan
- Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca Degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
- Department of Innovative Technologies, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Polo Universitario Lugano, Campus Est, Via la Santa 1, 6962 Lugano-Viganello, Switzerland
| | - Dibyendu Das
- Department of Chemical Sciences and CAFM, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, India
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18
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Dienemann JN, Chen SY, Hitzenberger M, Sievert ML, Hacker SM, Prigge ST, Zacharias M, Groll M, Sieber SA. A Chemical Proteomic Strategy Reveals Inhibitors of Lipoate Salvage in Bacteria and Parasites. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202304533. [PMID: 37249408 PMCID: PMC10896624 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202304533] [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: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The development of novel anti-infectives requires unprecedented strategies targeting pathways which are solely present in pathogens but absent in humans. Following this principle, we developed inhibitors of lipoic acid (LA) salvage, a crucial pathway for the survival of LA auxotrophic bacteria and parasites but non-essential in human cells. An LA-based probe was selectively transferred onto substrate proteins via lipoate protein ligase (LPL) in intact cells, and their binding sites were determined by mass spectrometry. Probe labeling served as a proxy of LPL activity, enabling in situ screenings for cell-permeable LPL inhibitors. Profiling a focused compound library revealed two substrate analogs (LAMe and C3) as inhibitors, which were further validated by binding studies and co-crystallography. Importantly, LAMe exhibited low toxicity in human cells and achieved killing of Plasmodium falciparum in erythrocytes with an EC50 value of 15 μM, making it the most effective LPL inhibitor reported to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Niklas Dienemann
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Department of Bioscience, Center for Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA), Ernst-Otto-Fischer Strasse 8, 85748, Garching bei München, Germany
| | - Shu-Yu Chen
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Department of Bioscience, Center for Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA), Ernst-Otto-Fischer Strasse 8, 85748, Garching bei München, Germany
| | - Manuel Hitzenberger
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Department of Bioscience, Center for Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA), Ernst-Otto-Fischer Strasse 8, 85748, Garching bei München, Germany
| | - Montana L Sievert
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615N. Wolfe Street, E5132, MD 21205, Baltimore, USA
| | - Stephan M Hacker
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333CC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Sean T Prigge
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615N. Wolfe Street, E5132, MD 21205, Baltimore, USA
| | - Martin Zacharias
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Department of Bioscience, Center for Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA), Ernst-Otto-Fischer Strasse 8, 85748, Garching bei München, Germany
| | - Michael Groll
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Department of Bioscience, Center for Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA), Ernst-Otto-Fischer Strasse 8, 85748, Garching bei München, Germany
| | - Stephan A Sieber
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Department of Bioscience, Center for Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA), Ernst-Otto-Fischer Strasse 8, 85748, Garching bei München, Germany
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19
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Wozniak K, Brzezinski K. Biological Catalysis and Information Storage Have Relied on N-Glycosyl Derivatives of β-D-Ribofuranose since the Origins of Life. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13050782. [PMID: 37238652 DOI: 10.3390/biom13050782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Most naturally occurring nucleotides and nucleosides are N-glycosyl derivatives of β-d-ribose. These N-ribosides are involved in most metabolic processes that occur in cells. They are essential components of nucleic acids, forming the basis for genetic information storage and flow. Moreover, these compounds are involved in numerous catalytic processes, including chemical energy production and storage, in which they serve as cofactors or coribozymes. From a chemical point of view, the overall structure of nucleotides and nucleosides is very similar and simple. However, their unique chemical and structural features render these compounds versatile building blocks that are crucial for life processes in all known organisms. Notably, the universal function of these compounds in encoding genetic information and cellular catalysis strongly suggests their essential role in the origins of life. In this review, we summarize major issues related to the role of N-ribosides in biological systems, especially in the context of the origin of life and its further evolution, through the RNA-based World(s), toward the life we observe today. We also discuss possible reasons why life has arisen from derivatives of β-d-ribofuranose instead of compounds based on other sugar moieties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Wozniak
- Department of Structural Biology of Prokaryotic Organisms, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-074 Poznan, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Brzezinski
- Department of Structural Biology of Prokaryotic Organisms, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-074 Poznan, Poland
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20
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Insights into Molecular Structure of Pterins Suitable for Biomedical Applications. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232315222. [PMID: 36499560 PMCID: PMC9737128 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232315222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Pterins are an inseparable part of living organisms. Pterins participate in metabolic reactions mostly as tetrahydropterins. Dihydropterins are usually intermediates of these reactions, whereas oxidized pterins can be biomarkers of diseases. In this review, we analyze the available data on the quantum chemistry of unconjugated pterins as well as their photonics. This gives a comprehensive overview about the electronic structure of pterins and offers some benefits for biomedicine applications: (1) one can affect the enzymatic reactions of aromatic amino acid hydroxylases, NO synthases, and alkylglycerol monooxygenase through UV irradiation of H4pterins since UV provokes electron donor reactions of H4pterins; (2) the emission properties of H2pterins and oxidized pterins can be used in fluorescence diagnostics; (3) two-photon absorption (TPA) should be used in such pterin-related infrared therapy because single-photon absorption in the UV range is inefficient and scatters in vivo; (4) one can affect pathogen organisms through TPA excitation of H4pterin cofactors, such as the molybdenum cofactor, leading to its detachment from proteins and subsequent oxidation; (5) metal nanostructures can be used for the UV-vis, fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy detection of pterin biomarkers. Therefore, we investigated both the biochemistry and physical chemistry of pterins and suggested some potential prospects for pterin-related biomedicine.
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21
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Nunes Palmeira R, Colnaghi M, Harrison SA, Pomiankowski A, Lane N. The limits of metabolic heredity in protocells. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221469. [PMID: 36350219 PMCID: PMC9653231 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The universal core of metabolism could have emerged from thermodynamically favoured prebiotic pathways at the origin of life. Starting with H
2
and CO
2
, the synthesis of amino acids and mixed fatty acids, which self-assemble into protocells, is favoured under warm anoxic conditions. Here, we address whether it is possible for protocells to evolve greater metabolic complexity, through positive feedbacks involving nucleotide catalysis. Using mathematical simulations to model metabolic heredity in protocells, based on branch points in protometabolic flux, we show that nucleotide catalysis can indeed promote protocell growth. This outcome only occurs when nucleotides directly catalyse CO
2
fixation. Strong nucleotide catalysis of other pathways (e.g. fatty acids and amino acids) generally unbalances metabolism and slows down protocell growth, and when there is competition between catalytic functions cell growth collapses. Autocatalysis of nucleotide synthesis can promote growth but only if nucleotides also catalyse CO
2
fixation; autocatalysis alone leads to the accumulation of nucleotides at the expense of CO
2
fixation and protocell growth rate. Our findings offer a new framework for the emergence of greater metabolic complexity, in which nucleotides catalyse broad-spectrum processes such as CO
2
fixation, hydrogenation and phosphorylation important to the emergence of genetic heredity at the origin of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Nunes Palmeira
- Department of Computer Science, Engineering Building, Malet Place, University College London, WC1E 7JG, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Marco Colnaghi
- Department of Computer Science, Engineering Building, Malet Place, University College London, WC1E 7JG, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Stuart A. Harrison
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Andrew Pomiankowski
- Department of Computer Science, Engineering Building, Malet Place, University College London, WC1E 7JG, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Nick Lane
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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22
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Gao L, Zhou Y, Li Z, He J, Qu Y, Zou X, Liu B, Ma C, Sun J, Guo K. Nicotinamide onium halide bidentate hybrid H–bond donor organocatalyst for CO2 fixation. J CO2 UTIL 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcou.2022.102196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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23
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Goswami S, Reja A, Pal S, Singh A, Das D. Nonequilibrium Amyloid Polymers Exploit Dynamic Covalent Linkage to Temporally Control Charge-Selective Catalysis. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:19248-19252. [PMID: 36219699 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c09262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Extant proteins exploit thermodynamically activated negatively charged coenzymes and hydrotropes to temporally access mechanistically important conformations that regulate vital biological functions, from metabolic reactions to expression modulation. Herein, we show that a short amyloid peptide can bind to a small molecular coenzyme by exploiting reversible covalent linkage to polymerize and access catalytically proficient nonequilibrium amyloid microphases. Subsequent hydrolysis of the activated coenzyme leads to depolymerization, realizing a variance of the surface charge of the assembly as a function of time. Such temporal change of surface charge dynamically modulates catalytic activities of the transient assemblies as observed in highly evolved modern-day biocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surashree Goswami
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Centre for Advanced Functional Materials, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India
| | - Antara Reja
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Centre for Advanced Functional Materials, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India
| | - Sumit Pal
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Centre for Advanced Functional Materials, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India
| | - Abhishek Singh
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Centre for Advanced Functional Materials, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India
| | - Dibyendu Das
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Centre for Advanced Functional Materials, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India
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24
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Abstract
α-Amino acids are essential molecular constituents of life, twenty of which are privileged because they are encoded by the ribosomal machinery. The question remains open as to why this number and why this 20 in particular, an almost philosophical question that cannot be conclusively resolved. They are closely related to the evolution of the genetic code and whether nucleic acids, amino acids, and peptides appeared simultaneously and were available under prebiotic conditions when the first self-sufficient complex molecular system emerged on Earth. This report focuses on prebiotic and metabolic aspects of amino acids and proteins starting with meteorites, followed by their formation, including peptides, under plausible prebiotic conditions, and the major biosynthetic pathways in the various kingdoms of life. Coenzymes play a key role in the present analysis in that amino acid metabolism is linked to glycolysis and different variants of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA, rTCA, and the incomplete horseshoe version) as well as the biosynthesis of the most important coenzymes. Thus, the report opens additional perspectives and facets on the molecular evolution of primary metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Kirschning
- Institute of Organic ChemistryLeibniz University HannoverSchneiderberg 1B30167HannoverGermany
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25
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Abstract
Covering: up to 2022The report provides a broad approach to deciphering the evolution of coenzyme biosynthetic pathways. Here, these various pathways are analyzed with respect to the coenzymes required for this purpose. Coenzymes whose biosynthesis relies on a large number of coenzyme-mediated reactions probably appeared on the scene at a later stage of biological evolution, whereas the biosyntheses of pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) and nicotinamide (NAD+) require little additional coenzymatic support and are therefore most likely very ancient biosynthetic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Kirschning
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Leibniz University Hannover, Schneiderberg 1B, D-30167 Hannover, Germany.
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26
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Martínez Giménez JA, Tabares Seisdedos R. A Cofactor-Based Mechanism for the Origin of the Genetic Code. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2022; 52:149-163. [PMID: 36071304 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-022-09628-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The origin of the genetic code is probably the central problem of the studies on the origin of life. The key question to answer is the molecular mechanism that allows the association of the amino acids with their triplet codons. We proposed that the codon-anticodon duplex located in the acceptor stem of primitive tRNAs would facilitate the chemical reactions required to synthesize cognate amino acids from simple amino acids (glycine, valine, and aspartic acid) linked to the 3' acceptor end. In our view, various nucleotide-A-derived cofactors (with reactive chemical groups) may be attached to the codon-anticodon duplex, which allows group-transferring reactions from cofactors to simple amino acids, thereby producing the final amino acid. The nucleotide-A-derived cofactors could be incorporated into the RNA duplex (helix) by docking Adenosine (cofactor) into the minor groove via an interaction similar to the A-minor motif, forming a base triple between Adenosine and one complementary base pair of the duplex. Furthermore, we propose that this codon-anticodon duplex could initially catalyze a self-aminoacylation reaction with a simple amino acid. Therefore, the sequence of bases in the codon-anticodon duplex would determine the reactions that occurred during the formation of new amino acids for selective binding of nucleotide-A-derived cofactors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rafael Tabares Seisdedos
- Departamento de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina de Valencia, (CIBERSAM; INCLIVA-UV), Universidad de Valencia, Av. Blasco Ibañez 17, 46010, Valencia, Spain.
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Chatterjee S, Gatreddi S, Gupta S, Nevarez JL, Rankin JA, Turmo A, Hu J, Hausinger RP. Unveiling the mechanisms and biosynthesis of a novel nickel-pincer enzyme. Biochem Soc Trans 2022; 50:1187-1196. [PMID: 35960008 PMCID: PMC9880988 DOI: 10.1042/bst20220490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The nickel-pincer nucleotide (NPN) coenzyme, a substituted pyridinium mononucleotide that tri-coordinates nickel, was first identified covalently attached to a lysine residue in the LarA protein of lactate racemase. Starting from nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide, LarB carboxylates C5 of the pyridinium ring and hydrolyzes the phosphoanhydride, LarE converts the C3 and C5 carboxylates to thiocarboxylates, and LarC incorporates nickel to form a C-Ni and two S-Ni bonds, during the biosynthesis of this cofactor. LarB uses a novel carboxylation mechanism involving the transient formation of a cysteinyl-pyridinium adduct. Depending on the source of the enzyme, LarEs either catalyze a sacrificial sulfur transfer from a cysteinyl side chain resulting in the formation of dehydroalanine or they utilize a [4Fe-4S] cluster bound by three cysteine residues to accept and transfer a non-core sulfide atom. LarC is a CTP-dependent enzyme that cytidinylylates its substrate, adds nickel, then hydrolyzes the product to release NPN and CMP. Homologs of the four lar genes are widely distributed in microorganisms, with some species containing multiple copies of larA whereas others lack this gene, consistent with the cofactor serving other functions. Several LarA-like proteins were shown to catalyze racemase or epimerase activities using 2-hydroxyacid substrates other than lactic acid. Thus, lactate racemase is the founding member of a large family of NPN-containing enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shramana Chatterjee
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Santhosh Gatreddi
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Swati Gupta
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Jorge L. Nevarez
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Joel A. Rankin
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Aiko Turmo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Jian Hu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Robert P. Hausinger
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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28
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Geng W, Zheng Z, Jiang H, Guo D. Nucleotide Recognition by a Guanidinocalixarene Receptor in Aqueous Solution. Chem Res Chin Univ 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40242-022-2204-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Xavier JC, Kauffman S. Small-molecule autocatalytic networks are universal metabolic fossils. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2022; 380:20210244. [PMID: 35599556 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2021.0244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Life and the genetic code are self-referential and so are autocatalytic networks made of simpler, small molecules. Several origins of life theories postulate autocatalytic chemical networks preceding the primordial genetic code, yet demonstration with biochemical systems is lacking. Here, small-molecule reflexively autocatalytic food-generated networks (RAFs) ranging in size from 3 to 619 reactions were found in all of 6683 prokaryotic metabolic networks searched. The average maximum RAF size is 275 reactions for a rich organic medium and 93 for a medium with a single organic cofactor, NAD. In the rich medium, all universally essential metabolites are produced with the exception of glycerol-1-p (archaeal lipid precursor), phenylalanine, histidine and arginine. The 300 most common reactions, present in at least 2732 RAFs, are mostly involved in amino acid biosynthesis and the metabolism of carbon, 2-oxocarboxylic acid and purines. ATP and NAD are central in generating network complexity, and because ATP is also one of the monomers of RNA, autocatalytic networks producing redox and energy currencies are a strong candidate niche of the origin of a primordial information-processing system. The wide distribution of small-molecule autocatalytic networks indicates that molecular reproduction may be much more prevalent in the Universe than hitherto predicted. This article is part of the theme issue 'Emergent phenomena in complex physical and socio-technical systems: from cells to societies'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana C Xavier
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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30
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Crapitto AJ, Campbell A, Harris AJ, Goldman AD. A consensus view of the proteome of the last universal common ancestor. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8930. [PMID: 35784055 PMCID: PMC9165204 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The availability of genomic and proteomic data from across the tree of life has made it possible to infer features of the genome and proteome of the last universal common ancestor (LUCA). A number of studies have done so, all using a unique set of methods and bioinformatics databases. Here, we compare predictions across eight such studies and measure both their agreement with one another and with the consensus predictions among them. We find that some LUCA genome studies show a strong agreement with the consensus predictions of the others, but that no individual study shares a high or even moderate degree of similarity with any other individual study. From these observations, we conclude that the consensus among studies provides a more accurate depiction of the core proteome of the LUCA and its functional repertoire. The set of consensus LUCA protein family predictions between all of these studies portrays a LUCA genome that, at minimum, encoded functions related to protein synthesis, amino acid metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, and the use of common, nucleotide‐derived organic cofactors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amy Campbell
- Perelman School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA
| | - AJ Harris
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization South China Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou China
| | - Aaron D. Goldman
- Department of Biology Oberlin College Oberlin Ohio USA
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science Seattle Washington USA
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31
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Fontecilla-Camps JC. The Complex Roles of Adenosine Triphosphate in Bioenergetics. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202200064. [PMID: 35353443 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
ATP is generally defined as the "energy currency" of the cell. Its phosphoanhydride P-O bonds are often considered to be "high energy" linkages that release free energy when broken, and its hydrolysis is described as "strongly exergonic". However, breaking bonds cannot release energy and ATP hydrolysis in motor and active transport proteins is not "strongly exergonic". So, the relevance of ATP resides elsewhere. As important as the nucleotide are the proteins that undergo functionally relevant conformational changes upon both ATP binding and release of ADP and inorganic phosphate. ATP phosphorylates proteins for signaling, active transport, and substrates in condensation reactions. The ensuing dephosphorylation has different consequences in each case. In signaling and active transport the phosphate group is hydrolyzed whereas in condensation reactions the phosphoryl fragment acts as a dehydrating agent. As it will be discussed in this article, ATP does much more than simply contribute free energy to biological processes.
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32
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Structure and mechanism of the methyltransferase ribozyme MTR1. Nat Chem Biol 2022; 18:547-555. [PMID: 35301481 PMCID: PMC7612680 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-022-00976-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
RNA-catalysed RNA methylation was recently shown to be part of the catalytic repertoire of ribozymes. The methyltransferase ribozyme MTR1 catalyses the site-specific synthesis of 1-methyladenosine (m1A) in RNA, using O6-methylguanine (m6G) as methyl group donor. Here we report the crystal structure of MTR1 at a resolution of 2.8 Å, which reveals a guanine binding site reminiscent of natural guanine riboswitches. The structure represents the postcatalytic state of a split ribozyme in complex with the m1A-containing RNA product and the demethylated cofactor guanine. The structural data suggest the mechanistic involvement of a protonated cytidine in the methyl transfer reaction. A synergistic effect of two 2'-O-methylated ribose residues in the active site results in accelerated methyl group transfer. Supported by these results, it seems plausible that modified nucleotides may have enhanced early RNA catalysis and that metabolite-binding riboswitches may resemble inactivated ribozymes that have lost their catalytic activity during evolution.
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Samuelian JS, Gremminger TJ, Song Z, Poudyal RR, Li J, Zhou Y, Staller SA, Carballo JA, Roychowdhury-Saha M, Chen SJ, Burke DH, Heng X, Baum DA. An RNA aptamer that shifts the reduction potential of metabolic cofactors. Nat Chem Biol 2022; 18:1263-1269. [PMID: 36097297 PMCID: PMC9596375 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-022-01121-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The discovery of ribozymes has inspired exploration of RNA's potential to serve as primordial catalysts in a hypothesized RNA world. Modern oxidoreductase enzymes employ differential binding between reduced and oxidized forms of redox cofactors to alter cofactor reduction potential and enhance the enzyme's catalytic capabilities. The utility of differential affinity has been underexplored as a chemical strategy for RNA. Here we show an RNA aptamer that preferentially binds oxidized forms of flavin over reduced forms and markedly shifts flavin reduction potential by -40 mV, similar to shifts for oxidoreductases. Nuclear magnetic resonance structural analysis revealed π-π and donor atom-π interactions between the aptamer and flavin that cause unfavorable contacts with the electron-rich reduced form, suggesting a mechanism by which the local environment of the RNA-binding pocket drives the observed shift in cofactor reduction potential. It seems likely that primordial RNAs could have used similar strategies in RNA world metabolisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- John S. Samuelian
- grid.262962.b0000 0004 1936 9342Department of Chemistry, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO USA
| | - Thomas J. Gremminger
- grid.134936.a0000 0001 2162 3504Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA ,Present Address: KCAS, LLC, Shawnee, KS USA
| | - Zhenwei Song
- grid.134936.a0000 0001 2162 3504Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA
| | - Raghav R. Poudyal
- grid.134936.a0000 0001 2162 3504Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA ,grid.134936.a0000 0001 2162 3504Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA ,grid.410513.20000 0000 8800 7493Present Address: Pfizer, Biomedicine Design, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Jun Li
- grid.134936.a0000 0001 2162 3504Department of Physics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA
| | - Yuanzhe Zhou
- grid.134936.a0000 0001 2162 3504Department of Physics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA
| | - Seth A. Staller
- grid.134936.a0000 0001 2162 3504Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA ,Present Address: Laronde, Inc., Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Johan A. Carballo
- grid.262962.b0000 0004 1936 9342Department of Chemistry, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO USA
| | - Manami Roychowdhury-Saha
- grid.411377.70000 0001 0790 959XDepartment of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN USA ,grid.505809.10000 0004 5998 7997Present Address: GRAIL, Menlo Park, CA USA
| | - Shi-Jie Chen
- grid.134936.a0000 0001 2162 3504Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA ,grid.134936.a0000 0001 2162 3504Department of Physics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA ,grid.134936.a0000 0001 2162 3504Institute for Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA
| | - Donald H. Burke
- grid.134936.a0000 0001 2162 3504Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA ,grid.134936.a0000 0001 2162 3504Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA ,grid.134936.a0000 0001 2162 3504Department of Biological Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA ,grid.134936.a0000 0001 2162 3504Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA
| | - Xiao Heng
- grid.134936.a0000 0001 2162 3504Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA
| | - Dana A. Baum
- grid.262962.b0000 0004 1936 9342Department of Chemistry, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO USA
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Enchev V, Slavova S. Self-catalytic mechanism of prebiotic reactions: from formamide to pterins and guanine. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:19043-19053. [PMID: 34612442 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp02158c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Reaction pathway of prebiotic reactions for formation of the pteridines: pterin, xanthopterine, isoxanthopterine and leucopterine, as well as the purine nucleobase guanine from pure formamide are presented. In these reactions, formamide or its tautomer, formimidic acid, play the role of proton-carrying catalyst. All required raw materials, such as hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, water, formic acid, urea, 2-aminomalononitrile, glyoxal, glyoxylic acid and oxalic acid needed in the self-catalyzed reactions are obtained by partial decomposition of formamide. We show that the prebiotic formation of nucleobases and pterins is closely linked and they probably coexisted at the beginning of chemical evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venelin Enchev
- Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
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35
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Flemmich L, Heel S, Moreno S, Breuker K, Micura R. A natural riboswitch scaffold with self-methylation activity. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3877. [PMID: 34162884 PMCID: PMC8222354 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24193-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Methylation is a prevalent post-transcriptional modification encountered in coding and non-coding RNA. For RNA methylation, cells use methyltransferases and small organic substances as methyl-group donors, such as S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). SAM and other nucleotide-derived cofactors are viewed as evolutionary leftovers from an RNA world, in which riboswitches have regulated, and ribozymes have catalyzed essential metabolic reactions. Here, we disclose the thus far unrecognized direct link between a present-day riboswitch and its inherent reactivity for site-specific methylation. The key is O6-methyl pre-queuosine (m6preQ1), a potentially prebiotic nucleobase which is recognized by the native aptamer of a preQ1 class I riboswitch. Upon binding, the transfer of the ligand’s methyl group to a specific cytidine occurs, installing 3-methylcytidine (m3C) in the RNA pocket under release of pre-queuosine (preQ1). Our finding suggests that nucleic acid-mediated methylation is an ancient mechanism that has offered an early path for RNA epigenetics prior to the evolution of protein methyltransferases. Furthermore, our findings may pave the way for the development of riboswitch-descending methylation tools based on rational design as a powerful alternative to in vitro selection approaches. In humans, protein methyltransferase is responsible for RNA methylation using S-adenosylmethionine as a methyl group donor. Here the authors report a self-methylation activity of a bacterial riboswitch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurin Flemmich
- University of Innsbruck, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences (CMBI), Innrain 80-82, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
| | - Sarah Heel
- University of Innsbruck, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences (CMBI), Innrain 80-82, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
| | - Sarah Moreno
- University of Innsbruck, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences (CMBI), Innrain 80-82, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
| | - Kathrin Breuker
- University of Innsbruck, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences (CMBI), Innrain 80-82, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
| | - Ronald Micura
- University of Innsbruck, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences (CMBI), Innrain 80-82, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria.
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Abstract
The evolution of coenzymes, or their impact on the origin of life, is fundamental for understanding our own existence. Having established reasonable hypotheses about the emergence of prebiotic chemical building blocks, which were probably created under palaeogeochemical conditions, and surmising that these smaller compounds must have become integrated to afford complex macromolecules such as RNA, the question of coenzyme origin and its relation to the evolution of functional biochemistry should gain new impetus. Many coenzymes have a simple chemical structure and are often nucleotide-derived, which suggests that they may have coexisted with the emergence of RNA and may have played a pivotal role in early metabolism. Based on current theories of prebiotic evolution, which attempt to explain the emergence of privileged organic building blocks, this Review discusses plausible hypotheses on the prebiotic formation of key elements within selected extant coenzymes. In combination with prebiotic RNA, coenzymes may have dramatically broadened early protometabolic networks and the catalytic scope of RNA during the evolution of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Kirschning
- Institut für Organische Chemie und Biomolekulares Wirkstoffzentrum (BMWZ)Leibniz Universität HannoverSchneiderberg 1B30167HannoverGermany
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37
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Goldman AD, Kacar B. Cofactors are Remnants of Life's Origin and Early Evolution. J Mol Evol 2021; 89:127-133. [PMID: 33547911 PMCID: PMC7982383 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-020-09988-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The RNA World is one of the most widely accepted hypotheses explaining the origin of the genetic system used by all organisms today. It proposes that the tripartite system of DNA, RNA, and proteins was preceded by one consisting solely of RNA, which both stored genetic information and performed the molecular functions encoded by that genetic information. Current research into a potential RNA World revolves around the catalytic properties of RNA-based enzymes, or ribozymes. Well before the discovery of ribozymes, Harold White proposed that evidence for a precursor RNA world could be found within modern proteins in the form of coenzymes, the majority of which contain nucleobases or nucleoside moieties, such as Coenzyme A and S-adenosyl methionine, or are themselves nucleotides, such as ATP and NADH (a dinucleotide). These coenzymes, White suggested, had been the catalytic active sites of ancient ribozymes, which transitioned to their current forms after the surrounding ribozyme scaffolds had been replaced by protein apoenzymes during the evolution of translation. Since its proposal four decades ago, this groundbreaking hypothesis has garnered support from several different research disciplines and motivated similar hypotheses about other classes of cofactors, most notably iron-sulfur cluster cofactors as remnants of the geochemical setting of the origin of life. Evidence from prebiotic geochemistry, ribozyme biochemistry, and evolutionary biology, increasingly supports these hypotheses. Certain coenzymes and cofactors may bridge modern biology with the past and can thus provide insights into the elusive and poorly-recorded period of the origin and early evolution of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron D Goldman
- Department of Biology, Oberlin College and Conservatory, Oberlin, OH, 44074, USA. .,Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA, 98154, USA.
| | - Betul Kacar
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA, 98154, USA. .,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA. .,Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and Department of Astronomy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA. .,Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan.
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38
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Sirithanakorn C, Cronan JE. Biotin, a universal and essential cofactor: Synthesis, ligation and regulation. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2021; 45:6081095. [PMID: 33428728 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuab003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Biotin is a covalently attached enzyme cofactor required for intermediary metabolism in all three domains of life. Several important human pathogens (e.g. Mycobacterium tuberculosis) require biotin synthesis for pathogenesis. Humans lack a biotin synthetic pathway hence bacterial biotin synthesis is a prime target for new therapeutic agents. The biotin synthetic pathway is readily divided into early and late segments. Although pimelate, a seven carbon α,ω-dicarboxylic acid that contributes seven of the ten biotin carbons atoms, was long known to be a biotin precursor, its biosynthetic pathway was a mystery until the E. coli pathway was discovered in 2010. Since then, diverse bacteria encode evolutionarily distinct enzymes that replace enzymes in the E. coli pathway. Two new bacterial pimelate synthesis pathways have been elucidated. In contrast to the early pathway the late pathway, assembly of the fused rings of the cofactor, was long thought settled. However, a new enzyme that bypasses a canonical enzyme was recently discovered as well as homologs of another canonical enzyme that functions in synthesis of another protein-bound coenzyme, lipoic acid. Most bacteria tightly regulate transcription of the biotin synthetic genes in a biotin-responsive manner. The bifunctional biotin ligases which catalyze attachment of biotin to its cognate enzymes and repress biotin gene transcription are best understood regulatory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaiyos Sirithanakorn
- Faculty of Medicine, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, Thailand.,Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - John E Cronan
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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39
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Micura R, Höbartner C. Fundamental studies of functional nucleic acids: aptamers, riboswitches, ribozymes and DNAzymes. Chem Soc Rev 2020; 49:7331-7353. [PMID: 32944725 DOI: 10.1039/d0cs00617c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
This review aims at juxtaposing common versus distinct structural and functional strategies that are applied by aptamers, riboswitches, and ribozymes/DNAzymes. Focusing on recently discovered systems, we begin our analysis with small-molecule binding aptamers, with emphasis on in vitro-selected fluorogenic RNA aptamers and their different modes of ligand binding and fluorescence activation. Fundamental insights are much needed to advance RNA imaging probes for detection of exo- and endogenous RNA and for RNA process tracking. Secondly, we discuss the latest gene expression-regulating mRNA riboswitches that respond to the alarmone ppGpp, to PRPP, to NAD+, to adenosine and cytidine diphosphates, and to precursors of thiamine biosynthesis (HMP-PP), and we outline new subclasses of SAM and tetrahydrofolate-binding RNA regulators. Many riboswitches bind protein enzyme cofactors that, in principle, can catalyse a chemical reaction. For RNA, however, only one system (glmS ribozyme) has been identified in Nature thus far that utilizes a small molecule - glucosamine-6-phosphate - to participate directly in reaction catalysis (phosphodiester cleavage). We wonder why that is the case and what is to be done to reveal such likely existing cellular activities that could be more diverse than currently imagined. Thirdly, this brings us to the four latest small nucleolytic ribozymes termed twister, twister-sister, pistol, and hatchet as well as to in vitro selected DNA and RNA enzymes that promote new chemistry, mainly by exploiting their ability for RNA labelling and nucleoside modification recognition. Enormous progress in understanding the strategies of nucleic acids catalysts has been made by providing thorough structural fundaments (e.g. first structure of a DNAzyme, structures of ribozyme transition state mimics) in combination with functional assays and atomic mutagenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald Micura
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck CMBI, Leopold-Franzens University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
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40
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Muchowska KB, Varma SJ, Moran J. Nonenzymatic Metabolic Reactions and Life's Origins. Chem Rev 2020; 120:7708-7744. [PMID: 32687326 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Prebiotic chemistry aims to explain how the biochemistry of life as we know it came to be. Most efforts in this area have focused on provisioning compounds of importance to life by multistep synthetic routes that do not resemble biochemistry. However, gaining insight into why core metabolism uses the molecules, reactions, pathways, and overall organization that it does requires us to consider molecules not only as synthetic end goals. Equally important are the dynamic processes that build them up and break them down. This perspective has led many researchers to the hypothesis that the first stage of the origin of life began with the onset of a primitive nonenzymatic version of metabolism, initially catalyzed by naturally occurring minerals and metal ions. This view of life's origins has come to be known as "metabolism first". Continuity with modern metabolism would require a primitive version of metabolism to build and break down ketoacids, sugars, amino acids, and ribonucleotides in much the same way as the pathways that do it today. This review discusses metabolic pathways of relevance to the origin of life in a manner accessible to chemists, and summarizes experiments suggesting several pathways might have their roots in prebiotic chemistry. Finally, key remaining milestones for the protometabolic hypothesis are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sreejith J Varma
- University of Strasbourg, CNRS, ISIS UMR 7006, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Joseph Moran
- University of Strasbourg, CNRS, ISIS UMR 7006, 67000 Strasbourg, France
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