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Oba Y, Koga T, Takano Y, Ogawa NO, Ohkouchi N, Sasaki K, Sato H, Glavin DP, Dworkin JP, Naraoka H, Tachibana S, Yurimoto H, Nakamura T, Noguchi T, Okazaki R, Yabuta H, Sakamoto K, Yada T, Nishimura M, Nakato A, Miyazaki A, Yogata K, Abe M, Okada T, Usui T, Yoshikawa M, Saiki T, Tanaka S, Terui F, Nakazawa S, Watanabe SI, Tsuda Y. Uracil in the carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1292. [PMID: 36944653 PMCID: PMC10030641 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36904-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The pristine sample from the near-Earth carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu collected by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft enabled us to analyze the pristine extraterrestrial material without uncontrolled exposure to the Earth's atmosphere and biosphere. The initial analysis team for the soluble organic matter reported the detection of wide variety of organic molecules including racemic amino acids in the Ryugu samples. Here we report the detection of uracil, one of the four nucleobases in ribonucleic acid, in aqueous extracts from Ryugu samples. In addition, nicotinic acid (niacin, a B3 vitamer), its derivatives, and imidazoles were detected in search for nitrogen heterocyclic molecules. The observed difference in the concentration of uracil between A0106 and C0107 may be related to the possible differences in the degree of alteration induced by energetic particles such as ultraviolet photons and cosmic rays. The present study strongly suggests that such molecules of prebiotic interest commonly formed in carbonaceous asteroids including Ryugu and were delivered to the early Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Oba
- Institute of Low Temperature Science (ILTS), Hokkaido University, N19W8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-0819, Japan.
| | - Toshiki Koga
- Biogeochemistry Research Center (BGC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Natsushima, Yokosuka, 237-0061, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Takano
- Biogeochemistry Research Center (BGC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Natsushima, Yokosuka, 237-0061, Japan.
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB), Keio University, Kakuganji, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, 997-0052, Japan.
| | - Nanako O Ogawa
- Biogeochemistry Research Center (BGC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Natsushima, Yokosuka, 237-0061, Japan
| | - Naohiko Ohkouchi
- Biogeochemistry Research Center (BGC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Natsushima, Yokosuka, 237-0061, Japan
| | - Kazunori Sasaki
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB), Keio University, Kakuganji, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, 997-0052, Japan
- Human Metabolome Technologies Inc., Kakuganji, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, 997-0052, Japan
| | - Hajime Sato
- Human Metabolome Technologies Inc., Kakuganji, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, 997-0052, Japan
| | - Daniel P Glavin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA
| | - Jason P Dworkin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA
| | - Hiroshi Naraoka
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Shogo Tachibana
- UTokyo Organization for Planetary and Space Science (UTOPS), University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, 252-5210, Japan
| | - Hisayoshi Yurimoto
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan
| | - Tomoki Nakamura
- Department of Earth Material Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Takaaki Noguchi
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Ryuji Okazaki
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Hikaru Yabuta
- Department of Earth and Planetary Systems Science, Hiroshima University, 739-8526, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Kanako Sakamoto
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, 252-5210, Japan
| | - Toru Yada
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, 252-5210, Japan
| | - Masahiro Nishimura
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, 252-5210, Japan
| | - Aiko Nakato
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, 252-5210, Japan
| | - Akiko Miyazaki
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, 252-5210, Japan
| | - Kasumi Yogata
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, 252-5210, Japan
| | - Masanao Abe
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, 252-5210, Japan
| | - Tatsuaki Okada
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, 252-5210, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Usui
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, 252-5210, Japan
| | - Makoto Yoshikawa
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, 252-5210, Japan
| | - Takanao Saiki
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, 252-5210, Japan
| | - Satoshi Tanaka
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, 252-5210, Japan
| | - Fuyuto Terui
- Kanagawa Institute of Technology, Atsugi, 243-0292, Japan
| | - Satoru Nakazawa
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, 252-5210, Japan
| | - Sei-Ichiro Watanabe
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Yuichi Tsuda
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, 252-5210, Japan
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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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Abstract
HCN-derived polymers are a heterogeneous group of complex substances synthesized from pure HCN; from its salts; from its oligomers, specifically its trimer and tetramer, amino-nalono-nitrile (AMN) and diamino-maleo-nitrile (DAMN), respectively; or from its hydrolysis products, such as formamide, under a wide range of experimental conditions. The characteristics and properties of HCN-derived polymers depend directly on the synthetic conditions used for their production and, by extension, their potential applications. These puzzling systems have been known mainly in the fields of prebiotic chemistry and in studies on the origins of life and astrobiology since the first prebiotic production of adenine by Oró in the early years of the 1960s. However, the first reference regarding their possible role in prebiotic chemistry was mentioned in the 19th century by Pflüger. Currently, HCN-derived polymers are considered keys in the formation of the first and primeval protometabolic and informational systems, and they may be among the most readily formed organic macromolecules in the solar system. In addition, HCN-derived polymers have attracted a growing interest in materials science due to their potential biomedical applications as coatings and adhesives; they have also been proposed as valuable models for multifunctional materials with emergent properties such as semi-conductivity, ferroelectricity, catalysis and photocatalysis, and heterogeneous organo-synthesis. However, the real structures and the formation pathways of these fascinating substances have not yet been fully elucidated; several models based on either computational approaches or spectroscopic and analytical techniques have endeavored to shed light on their complete nature. In this review, a comprehensive perspective of HCN-derived polymers is presented, taking into account all the aspects indicated above.
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Ponce CP, Kloprogge JT. Urea-Assisted Synthesis and Characterization of Saponite with Different Octahedral (Mg, Zn, Ni, Co) and Tetrahedral Metals (Al, Ga, B), a Review. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10090168. [PMID: 32872173 PMCID: PMC7555627 DOI: 10.3390/life10090168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Clay minerals surfaces potentially play a role in prebiotic synthesis through adsorption of organic monomers that give rise to highly concentrated systems; facilitate condensation and polymerization reactions, protection of early biomolecules from hydrolysis and photolysis, and surface-templating for specific adsorption and synthesis of organic molecules. This review presents processes of clay formation using saponite as a model clay mineral, since it has been shown to catalyze organic reactions, is easy to synthesize in large and pure form, and has tunable properties. In particular, a method involving urea is presented as a reasonable analog of natural processes. The method involves a two-step process: (1) formation of the precursor aluminosilicate gel and (2) hydrolysis of a divalent metal (Mg, Ni, Co, and Zn) by the slow release of ammonia from urea decomposition. The aluminosilicate gels in the first step forms a 4-fold-coordinated Al3+ similar to what is found in nature such as in volcanic glass. The use of urea, a compound figuring in many prebiotic model reactions, circumvents the formation of undesirable brucite, Mg(OH)2, in the final product, by slowly releasing ammonia thereby controlling the hydrolysis of magnesium. In addition, the substitution of B and Ga for Si and Al in saponite is also described. The saponite products from this urea-assisted synthesis were tested as catalysts for several organic reactions, including Friedel–Crafts alkylation, cracking, and isomerization reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Concepcion P. Ponce
- Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines, Miag-ao, Iloilo 5023, Philippines;
| | - J. Theo Kloprogge
- Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines, Miag-ao, Iloilo 5023, Philippines;
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Correspondence:
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Enchev V, Angelov I, Dincheva I, Stoyanova N, Slavova S, Rangelov M, Markova N. Chemical evolution: from formamide to nucleobases and amino acids without the presence of catalyst. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2020; 39:5563-5578. [PMID: 32677584 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2020.1792986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Abiotic synthesis of nucleobases and amino acids is of critical importance as it sheds light on potential prebiotic chemical reactions. During thermal decomposition of formamide in vacuum conditions, purine, cytosine, adenine, hypoxanthine, uracil, pterin, urea, urocanic acid, glycine, alanine and norvaline were detected. The compounds were obtained without catalyst by heating at 100-180 °C or microwave heating of formamide. Reaction network of self-catalyzed chemical reactions is suggested, showing how from only one parent molecule, nucleobases, urea and the amino acid glycine can be produced. The reaction pathways are theoretically determined using SCS-MP2 calculations.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venelin Enchev
- Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Ivan Angelov
- Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | | | - Nina Stoyanova
- Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Sofia Slavova
- Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Miroslav Rangelov
- Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Nadezhda Markova
- Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Sofia, Bulgaria
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