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Howlett MG, Fletcher SP. From autocatalysis to survival of the fittest in self-reproducing lipid systems. Nat Rev Chem 2023; 7:673-691. [PMID: 37612460 DOI: 10.1038/s41570-023-00524-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Studying autocatalysis - in which molecules catalyse their own formation - might help to explain the emergence of chemical systems that exhibit traits normally associated with biology. When coupled to other processes, autocatalysis can lead to complex systems-level behaviour in apparently simple mixtures. Lipids are an important class of chemicals that appear simple in isolation, but collectively show complex supramolecular and mesoscale dynamics. Here we discuss autocatalytic lipids as a source of extraordinary behaviour such as primitive chemical evolution, chemotaxis, temporally controllable materials and even as supramolecular catalysts for continuous synthesis. We survey the literature since the first examples of lipid autocatalysis and highlight state-of-the-art synthetic systems that emulate life, displaying behaviour such as metabolism and homeostasis, with special consideration for generating structural complexity and out-of-equilibrium models of life. Autocatalytic lipid systems have enormous potential for building complexity from simple components, and connections between physical effects and molecular reactivity are only just beginning to be discovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael G Howlett
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Stephen P Fletcher
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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2
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Samokhvalova S, Lutz JF. Macromolecular Information Transfer. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202300014. [PMID: 36696359 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202300014] [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: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Macromolecular information transfer can be defined as the process by which a coded monomer sequence is communicated from one macromolecule to another. In such a transfer process, the information sequence can be kept identical, transformed into a complementary sequence or even translated into a different molecular language. Such mechanisms are crucial in biology and take place in DNA→DNA replication, DNA→RNA transcription and RNA→protein translation. In fact, there would be no life on Earth without macromolecular information transfer. Mimicking such processes with synthetic macromolecules would also be of major scientific relevance because it would open up new avenues for technological applications (e.g. data storage and processing) but also for the creation of artificial life. In this important context, this minireview summarizes recent research about information transfer in synthetic oligomers and polymers. Medium- and long-term perspectives are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana Samokhvalova
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, ISIS, 8 allée Gaspard Monge, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Jean-François Lutz
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, ISIS, 8 allée Gaspard Monge, 67000, Strasbourg, France
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3
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Liu B, Wu J, Geerts M, Markovitch O, Pappas CG, Liu K, Otto S. Out-of-Equilibrium Self-Replication Allows Selection for Dynamic Kinetic Stability in a System of Competing Replicators. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202117605. [PMID: 35179808 PMCID: PMC9314957 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202117605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Among the key characteristics of living systems are their ability to self‐replicate and the fact that they exist in an open system away from equilibrium. Herein, we show how the outcome of the competition between two self‐replicators, differing in size and building block composition, is different depending on whether the experiments are conducted in a closed vial or in an open and out‐of‐equilibrium replication–destruction regime. In the closed system, the slower replicator eventually prevails over the faster competitor. In a replication‐destruction regime, implemented through a flow system, the outcome of the competition is reversed and the faster replicator dominates. The interpretation of the experimental observations is supported by a mass‐action‐kinetics model. These results represent one of the few experimental manifestations of selection among competing self‐replicators based on dynamic kinetic stability and pave the way towards Darwinian evolution of abiotic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Liu
- Centre for Systems Chemistry, Stratingh Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Juntian Wu
- Centre for Systems Chemistry, Stratingh Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marc Geerts
- Centre for Systems Chemistry, Stratingh Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Omer Markovitch
- Centre for Systems Chemistry, Stratingh Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Origins Center, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Charalampos G Pappas
- Centre for Systems Chemistry, Stratingh Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Kai Liu
- Centre for Systems Chemistry, Stratingh Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sijbren Otto
- Centre for Systems Chemistry, Stratingh Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
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4
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Liu B, Wu J, Geerts M, Markovitch O, Pappas CG, Liu K, Otto S. Out‐of‐equilibrium self‐replication allows selection for dynamic kinetic stability in a system of competing replicators. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202117605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bin Liu
- University of Groningen: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Stratingh Institute for Chemistry NETHERLANDS
| | - Juntian Wu
- University of Groningen: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Stratingh Institute for Chemistry NETHERLANDS
| | - Marc Geerts
- University of Groningen: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Stratingh Institute for Chemistry NETHERLANDS
| | - Omer Markovitch
- University of Groningen: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Stratingh Institute for Chemistry NETHERLANDS
| | - Charalampos G. Pappas
- University of Groningen: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Stratingh Institute for Chemistry NETHERLANDS
| | - Kai Liu
- University of Groningen: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Stratingh Institute for Chemistry NETHERLANDS
| | - Sijbren Otto
- Stratingh Institute University of Groningen Centre for Systems Chemistry Nijenborgh 4 9747AG Groningen NETHERLANDS
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5
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Abstract
As the remit of chemistry expands beyond molecules to systems, new synthetic targets appear on the horizon. Among these, life represents perhaps the ultimate synthetic challenge. Building on an increasingly detailed understanding of the inner workings of living systems and advances in organic synthesis and supramolecular chemistry, the de novo synthesis of life (i.e., the construction of a new form of life based on completely synthetic components) is coming within reach. This Account presents our first steps in the journey toward this long-term goal. The synthesis of life requires the functional integration of different subsystems that harbor the different characteristics that are deemed essential to life. The most important of these are self-replication, metabolism, and compartmentalization. Integrating these features into a single system, maintaining this system out of equilibrium, and allowing it to undergo Darwinian evolution should ideally result in the emergence of life. Our journey toward de novo life started with the serendipitous discovery of a new mechanism of self-replication. We found that self-assembly in a mixture of interconverting oligomers is a general way of achieving self-replication, where the assembly process drives the synthesis of the very molecules that assemble. Mechanically induced breakage of the growing replicating assemblies resulted in their exponential growth, which is an important enabler for achieving Darwinian evolution. Through this mechanism, the self-replication of compounds containing peptides, nucleobases, and fully synthetic molecules was achieved. Several examples of evolutionary dynamics have been observed in these systems, including the spontaneous diversification of replicators allowing them to specialize on different food sets, history dependence of replicator composition, and the spontaneous emergence of parasitic behavior. Peptide-based replicator assemblies were found to organize their peptide units in space in a manner that, inadvertently, gives rise to microenvironments that are capable of catalysis of chemical reactions or binding-induced activation of cofactors. Among the reactions that can be catalyzed by the replicators are ones that produce the precursors from which these replicators grow, amounting to the first examples of the assimilation of a proto-metabolism. Operating these replicators in a chemically fueled out-of-equilibrium replication-destruction regime was found to promote an increase in their molecular complexity. Fueling counteracts the inherent tendency of replicators to evolve toward lower complexity (caused by the fact that smaller replicators tend to replicate faster). Among the remaining steps on the road to de novo life are now to assimilate compartmentalization and achieve open-ended evolution of the resulting system. Success in the synthesis of de novo life, once obtained, will have far-reaching implications for our understanding of what life is, for the search for extraterrestrial life, for how life may have originated on earth, and for every-day life by opening up new vistas in the form living technology and materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sijbren Otto
- Centre for Systems Chemistry, Stratingh
Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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6
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Leguizamon SC, Scott TF. Mimicking DNA Functions with Abiotic, Sequence-Defined Polymers. POLYM REV 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/15583724.2021.2014519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel C. Leguizamon
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Timothy F. Scott
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
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Abstract
In biological systems, the storage and transfer of genetic information rely on sequence-controlled nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA. It has been realized for quite some time that this property is not only crucial for life but could also be very useful in human applications. For instance, DNA has been actively investigated as a digital storage medium over the past decade. Indeed, the "hard-disk of life" is an obvious choice and a highly optimized material for storing data. Through decades of nucleic acids research, technological tools for parallel synthesis and sequencing of DNA have been readily available. Consequently, it has already been demonstrated that different types of documents (e.g., texts, images, videos, and industrial data) can be stored in chemically synthesized DNA libraries. However, DNA is subject to biological constraints, and its molecular structure cannot be easily varied to match technological needs. In fact, DNA is not the only macromolecule that enables data storage. In recent years, it has been demonstrated that a wide variety of synthetic polymers can also be used for such a purpose. Indeed, modern polymer synthesis allows the preparation of synthetic macromolecules with precisely controlled monomer sequences. Altogether, about a dozens of synthetic digital polymers have already been described, and many more can be foreseen. Among them, sequence-defined poly(phosphodiester)s are one of the most promising options. These polymers are prepared by stepwise phosphoramidite chemistry like chemically synthesized oligonucleotides. However, they are constructed with non-natural building blocks and therefore share almost no structural characteristics with nucleic acids, except phosphate repeat units. Still, they contain readable digital messages that can be deciphered by nanopore sequencing or mass spectrometry sequencing. In this Account, we describe our recent research efforts in synthesizing and sequencing optimal abiological digital poly(phosphodiester)s. A major advantage of these polymers over DNA is that their molecular structure can easily be varied to tune their properties. During the last 5 years, we have engineered the molecular structure of these polymers to adjust crucial parameters such as the storage density, storage capacity, erasability, and readability. Consequently, high-capacity PPDE chains, containing hundreds of bits per chains, can now be synthesized and efficiently sequenced using a routine mass spectrometer. Furthermore, sequencing data can be automatically decrypted with the help of decoding software. This new type of coded matter can also be edited using practical physical triggers such as light and organized in space by programmed self-assembly. All of these recent improvements are summarized and discussed herein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Charles
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Institute for Radical Chemistry, UMR 7273, 23 Av Escadrille Nomandie-Niemen, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France
| | - Jean-François Lutz
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Charles Sadron UPR22, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France
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Mondal T, Nerantzaki M, Flesch K, Loth C, Maaloum M, Cong Y, Sheiko SS, Lutz JF. Large Sequence-Defined Supramolecules Obtained by the DNA-Guided Assembly of Biohybrid Poly(phosphodiester)s. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c02581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tathagata Mondal
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Charles Sadron UPR22, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France
| | - Maria Nerantzaki
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Charles Sadron UPR22, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France
| | - Kevin Flesch
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Charles Sadron UPR22, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France
| | - Capucine Loth
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Charles Sadron UPR22, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France
| | - Mounir Maaloum
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Charles Sadron UPR22, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France
| | - Yidan Cong
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, United States
| | - Sergei S. Sheiko
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, United States
| | - Jean-François Lutz
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Charles Sadron UPR22, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France
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Laurent E, Amalian JA, Schutz T, Launay K, Clément JL, Gigmes D, Burel A, Carapito C, Charles L, Delsuc MA, Lutz JF. Storing the portrait of Antoine de Lavoisier in a single macromolecule. CR CHIM 2021. [DOI: 10.5802/crchim.72] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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10
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Mondal T, Charles L, Lutz J. Damage and Repair in Informational Poly(
N
‐substituted urethane)s. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202008864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tathagata Mondal
- Precision Macromolecular Chemistry Université de Strasbourg CNRS Institut Charles Sadron UPR22 23 rue du Loess 67034 Strasbourg Cedex 2 France
| | - Laurence Charles
- Aix Marseille Université CNRS UMR 7273, Institut of Radical Chemistry 13397 Marseille Cedex 20 France
| | - Jean‐François Lutz
- Precision Macromolecular Chemistry Université de Strasbourg CNRS Institut Charles Sadron UPR22 23 rue du Loess 67034 Strasbourg Cedex 2 France
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11
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Mondal T, Charles L, Lutz JF. Damage and Repair in Informational Poly(N-substituted urethane)s. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:20390-20393. [PMID: 32779792 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202008864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The degradation and repair of uniform sequence-defined poly(N-substituted urethane)s was studied. Polymers containing an ω-OH end-group and only ethyl carbamate main-chain repeat units rapidly degrade in NaOH solution through an ω→α depolymerization mechanism with no apparent sign of random chain cleavage. The degradation mechanism is not notably affected by the nature of the side-chain N-substituents and took place for all studied sequences. On the other hand, depolymerization is significantly influenced by the molecular structure of the main-chain repeat units. For instance, hexyl carbamate main-chain motifs block unzipping and can therefore be used to control the degradation of specific sequence sections. Interestingly, the partially degraded polymers can also be repaired; for example by using a combination of N,N'-disuccinimidyl carbonate with a secondary amine building-block. Overall, these findings open up interesting new avenues for chain-healing and sequence editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tathagata Mondal
- Precision Macromolecular Chemistry, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Charles Sadron UPR22, 23 rue du Loess, 67034, Strasbourg Cedex 2, France
| | - Laurence Charles
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR 7273, Institut of Radical Chemistry, 13397, Marseille Cedex 20, France
| | - Jean-François Lutz
- Precision Macromolecular Chemistry, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Charles Sadron UPR22, 23 rue du Loess, 67034, Strasbourg Cedex 2, France
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Lutz JF. 100th Anniversary of Macromolecular Science Viewpoint: Toward Artificial Life-Supporting Macromolecules. ACS Macro Lett 2020; 9:185-189. [PMID: 35638671 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.9b00938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Terrestrial Life is based on polymers. In all known living organisms, DNA stores genetic information, mutates, self-replicates, and guides the synthesis of messenger molecules. Although the function of nucleic acids is well-understood, the development of artificial macromolecular mimics remains very limited. Laboratory-synthesized nucleic acids still support Life, and some nucleic acids analogues exhibit biological functions. Yet, after hundred years of polymer science, no other type of Life-supporting macromolecule (i.e., non-nucleic acids) has ever been reported. In this context, the aim of the present viewpoint is to discuss important challenges that shall be addressed by polymer chemists to achieve artificial Life. Similarly to DNA, an artificial Life-supporting macromolecule shall store information, transfer information, and mutate. Many tools, such as sequence-defined polymer synthesis, polymer modification, supramolecular polymer chemistry, and dynamic chemistry, are already available to chemists to attain these properties. However, the design of artificial Life-supporting macromolecules is hindered by two main factors. First, the chemical search space is enormous, and it is difficult to predict promising structures, even with the help of combinatorial and chemoinformatic tools. Second, rational design is probably a limited approach to achieve macromolecules that shall be involved in nonequilibrium metabolic systems. Hence, a synergic combination of classical polymer chemistry with the more recent field of systems chemistry is probably the key toward the emergence of artificial Life-supporting macromolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-François Lutz
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS - UPR 22, Institut Charles Sadron, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg, France
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