1
|
Michaelian K. The Pigment World: Life's Origins as Photon-Dissipating Pigments. Life (Basel) 2024; 14:912. [PMID: 39063667 PMCID: PMC11277707 DOI: 10.3390/life14070912] [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: 06/08/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Many of the fundamental molecules of life share extraordinary pigment-like optical properties in the long-wavelength UV-C spectral region. These include strong photon absorption and rapid (sub-pico-second) dissipation of the induced electronic excitation energy into heat through peaked conical intersections. These properties have been attributed to a "natural selection" of molecules resistant to the dangerous UV-C light incident on Earth's surface during the Archean. In contrast, the "thermodynamic dissipation theory for the origin of life" argues that, far from being detrimental, UV-C light was, in fact, the thermodynamic potential driving the dissipative structuring of life at its origin. The optical properties were thus the thermodynamic "design goals" of microscopic dissipative structuring of organic UV-C pigments, today known as the "fundamental molecules of life", from common precursors under this light. This "UV-C Pigment World" evolved towards greater solar photon dissipation through more complex dissipative structuring pathways, eventually producing visible pigments to dissipate less energetic, but higher intensity, visible photons up to wavelengths of the "red edge". The propagation and dispersal of organic pigments, catalyzed by animals, and their coupling with abiotic dissipative processes, such as the water cycle, culminated in the apex photon dissipative structure, today's biosphere.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karo Michaelian
- Department of Nuclear Physics and Application of Radiation, Instituto de Física, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Interior de la Investigación Científica, Cuidad Universitaria, Cuidad de México CP 04510, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Cuéllar-Zuquin J, Pepino AJ, Fdez. Galván I, Rivalta I, Aquilante F, Garavelli M, Lindh R, Segarra-Martí J. Characterizing Conical Intersections in DNA/RNA Nucleobases with Multiconfigurational Wave Functions of Varying Active Space Size. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:8258-8272. [PMID: 37882796 PMCID: PMC10851440 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00577] [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] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
We characterize the photochemically relevant conical intersections between the lowest-lying accessible electronic excited states of the different DNA/RNA nucleobases using Cholesky decomposition-based complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) algorithms. We benchmark two different basis set contractions and several active spaces for each nucleobase and conical intersection type, measuring for the first time how active space size affects conical intersection topographies in these systems and the potential implications these may have toward their description of photoinduced phenomena. Our results show that conical intersection topographies are highly sensitive to the electron correlation included in the model: by changing the amount (and type) of correlated orbitals, conical intersection topographies vastly change, and the changes observed do not follow any converging pattern toward the topographies obtained with the largest and most correlated active spaces. Comparison across systems shows analogous topographies for almost all intersections mediating population transfer to the dark 1nO/Nπ* states, while no similarities are observed for the "ethylene-like" conical intersection ascribed to mediate the ultrafast decay component to the ground state in all DNA/RNA nucleobases. Basis set size seems to have a minor effect, appearing to be relevant only for purine-based derivatives. We rule out structural changes as a key factor in classifying the different conical intersections, which display almost identical geometries across active space and basis set change, and we highlight instead the importance of correctly describing the electronic states involved at these crossing points. Our work shows that careful active space selection is essential to accurately describe conical intersection topographies and therefore to adequately account for their active role in molecular photochemistry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Cuéllar-Zuquin
- Instituto
de Ciencia Molecular, Universitat de Valencia, P.O. Box 22085, ES-46071 Valencia, Spain
| | - Ana Julieta Pepino
- Dipartimento
di Chimica Industriale “Toso Montanari”, Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, I-40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Ignacio Fdez. Galván
- Department
of Chemistry − BMC, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 576, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ivan Rivalta
- Dipartimento
di Chimica Industriale “Toso Montanari”, Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, I-40136 Bologna, Italy
- ENSL,
CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie UMR 5182, 46 Allée d’Italie, 69364 Lyon, France
| | - Francesco Aquilante
- Theory
and Simulation of Materials (THEOS), and National Centre for Computational
Design and Discovery of Novel Materials (MARVEL), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marco Garavelli
- Dipartimento
di Chimica Industriale “Toso Montanari”, Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, I-40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Roland Lindh
- Department
of Chemistry − BMC, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 576, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Javier Segarra-Martí
- Instituto
de Ciencia Molecular, Universitat de Valencia, P.O. Box 22085, ES-46071 Valencia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Bertram L, Roberts SJ, Powner MW, Szabla R. Photochemistry of 2-thiooxazole: a plausible prebiotic precursor to RNA nucleotides. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:21406-21416. [PMID: 36047336 PMCID: PMC7613695 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp03167a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Potentially prebiotic chemical reactions leading to RNA nucleotides involve periods of UV irradiation, which are necessary to promote selectivity and destroy biologially irrelevant side products. Nevertheless, UV light has only been applied to promote specific stages of prebiotic reactions and its effect on complete prebiotic reaction sequences has not been extensively studied. Here, we report on an experimental and computational investigation of the photostability of 2-thiooxazole (2-TO), a potential precursor of pyrimidine and 8-oxopurine nucleotides on early Earth. Our UV-irradiation experiments resulted in rapid decomposition of 2-TO into unidentified small molecule photoproducts. We further clarify the underlying photochemistry by means of accurate ab initio calculations and surface hopping molecular dynamics simulations. Overall, the computational results show efficient rupture of the aromatic ring upon the photoexcitation of 2-TO via breaking of the C-O bond. Consequently, the initial stage of the divergent prebiotic synthesis of pyrimidine and 8-oxopurine nucleotides would require periodic shielding from UV light either with sun screening chromophores or through a planetary scenario that would protect 2-TO until it is transformed into a more stable intermediate compound, e.g. oxazolidinone thione.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Bertram
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Samuel J Roberts
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Matthew W Powner
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Rafał Szabla
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Department of Physical and Quantum Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
de Vries MS. Understanding How a New Hachimoji Nucleobase Alters Photodynamics of Genetic Building Blocks. Photochem Photobiol 2022; 99:857-859. [PMID: 36062299 DOI: 10.1111/php.13709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This article is a highlight of the paper by Krul et al. in this issue of Photochemistry and Photobiology. It describes the excited state dynamics of 5-aza-7-deazaguanine (5N7C G), which has recently been proposed as an alternative nucleobase. Upon UV absorption to the lowest energy 1 ππ* state, 5N7C G returns to the electronic ground state an order of magnitude more slowly than guanine with a corresponding greater fluorescence quantum yield. These findings are significant because they suggest that 5N7C G is less UV photostable that its canonical nucleobase equivalent, which would have been a selective disadvantage in prebiotic conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mattanjah S de Vries
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, CA, 93106-9510, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Soler J, Sarkar R, Boggio-Pasqua M. Theoretical Rationalization of the Dual Photophysical Behavior of C60+. J Phys Chem A 2019; 123:1824-1829. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.8b11761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Soler
- Laboratoire de Chimie et Physique Quantiques, UMR 5626, IRSAMC, CNRS et Université Toulouse 3, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Rudraditya Sarkar
- Laboratoire de Chimie et Physique Quantiques, UMR 5626, IRSAMC, CNRS et Université Toulouse 3, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Martial Boggio-Pasqua
- Laboratoire de Chimie et Physique Quantiques, UMR 5626, IRSAMC, CNRS et Université Toulouse 3, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Gate G, Szabla R, Haggmark MR, Šponer J, Sobolewski AL, de Vries MS. Photodynamics of alternative DNA base isoguanine. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:13474-13485. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cp01622h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Pump–probe experiments and quantum-chemical simulations of UV-excited isoguanine elucidate its tautomer dependent photochemical properties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Gate
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- University of California
- Santa Barbara
- USA
| | - Rafał Szabla
- Institute of Physics
- Polish Academy of Sciences
- 02-668 Warsaw
- Poland
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences
| | - Michael R. Haggmark
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- University of California
- Santa Barbara
- USA
| | - Jiří Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences
- 61265 Brno
- Czech Republic
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Abstract
We have investigated the photodynamics of β-d-glucose employing our field-induced surface-hopping (FISH) method, which allows us to simulate the coupled electron-nuclear dynamics, explicitly including nonadiabatic effects and light-induced excitation. Our results reveal that from the initially populated S1 and S2 states, glucose returns nonradiatively to the ground state within about 200 fs. This takes place mainly via conical intersections (CIs), whose geometries in most cases involve the elongation of a single O-H bond, whereas in some instances, ring-opening due to dissociation of a C-O bond is observed. Experimentally, excitation to a distinct excited electronic state is improbable due to the presence of a dense manifold of states bearing similar oscillator strengths. Our FISH simulations, explicitly including a UV laser pulse of 6.43 eV photon energy, reveal that after initial excitation, the population is almost equally spread over several close-lying electronic states. This is followed by a fast nonradiative decay on the time scale of 100-200 fs, with the final return to the ground state proceeding via the S1 state through the same types of CIs as observed in the field-free simulations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jens Petersen
- Institut für physikalische und theoretische Chemie, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg , Emil-Fischer-Str. 42, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Joachim O Lindner
- Institut für physikalische und theoretische Chemie, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg , Emil-Fischer-Str. 42, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Roland Mitrić
- Institut für physikalische und theoretische Chemie, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg , Emil-Fischer-Str. 42, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Michaelian K. Microscopic dissipative structuring and proliferation at the origin of life. Heliyon 2017; 3:e00424. [PMID: 29062973 PMCID: PMC5647473 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2017.e00424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Some fundamental molecules of life are suggested to have been formed, proliferated, and evolved through photochemical microscopic dissipative structuring and autocatalytic proliferation under the UV-C/UV-B solar environment prevalent at Earth's surface throughout the Archean. Evidence is given in the numerous salient characteristics of these, including their strong absorption in this spectral region and their rapid non-radiative excited state decay through inherent conical intersections. The examples of the dissipative structuring and dissipative proliferation of the purines and of single strand DNA are given. UV-C and UV-B-induced stationary state isomerizations and tautomerizations are shown to be crucial to the formation of the purines from hydrogen cyanide in an aqueous environment under UV-C light, while UV-C induced phosphorylation of nucleosides and denaturing of double helix RNA and DNA are similarly important to the production and proliferation of single strand DNA. This thermodynamic dissipation perspective provides a physical-chemical foundation for understanding the origin and evolution of life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karo Michaelian
- Department of Nuclear Physics and Application of Radiations, Instituto de Física, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 20–364, Cuidad de México, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Pratihar S, Ma X, Homayoon Z, Barnes GL, Hase WL. Direct Chemical Dynamics Simulations. J Am Chem Soc 2017; 139:3570-3590. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b12017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Subha Pratihar
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409-1061, United States
| | - Xinyou Ma
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409-1061, United States
| | - Zahra Homayoon
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409-1061, United States
| | - George L. Barnes
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Siena College, Loudonville, New York 12211, United States
| | - William L. Hase
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409-1061, United States
| |
Collapse
|