1
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Samrout OE, Berlier G, Lambert JF. Amino Acid Polymerization on Silica Surfaces. Chempluschem 2024; 89:e202300642. [PMID: 38226922 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202300642] [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: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
The polymerization of unactivated amino acids (AAs) is an important topic because of its applications in various fields including industrial medicinal chemistry and prebiotic chemistry. Silica as a promoter for this reaction, is of great interest owing to its large abundance and low cost. The amide/peptide bond synthesis on silica has been largely demonstrated but suffers from a lack of knowledge regarding its reaction mechanism, the key parameters, and surface features that influence AA adsorption and reactivity, the selectivity of the reaction product, the role of water in the reaction, etc. The present review addresses these problems by summarizing experimental and modeling results from the literature and attempts to rationalize some apparent divergences in published results. After briefly presenting the main types of silica surface sites and other relevant macroscopic features, we discuss the different deposition procedures of AAs, whose importance is often neglected. We address the possible AA adsorption mechanisms including covalent grafting and H-bonding and show that they are highly dependent on silanol types and density. We then consider how the adsorption mechanisms determine the occurrence and outcome of AA condensation (formation of cyclic dimers or of long linear chains), and outline some recent results that suggest significant polymerization selectivity in systems containing several AAs, as well as the formation of specific elements of secondary structure in the growing polypeptide chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ola El Samrout
- Department of Chemistry, University of Torino, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - Gloria Berlier
- Department of Chemistry, University of Torino, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - Jean-François Lambert
- Laboratoire de Réactivité de Surface, LRS, Sorbonne Université Place Jussieu, 75005, Paris, France
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2
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Liao Q, Xie P, Wang Z. Enantiodetermining processes in the synthesis of alanine, serine, and isovaline. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:28829-28834. [PMID: 37853775 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp03212d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
In this study, quantum chemical calculations were used to explore the synthesis of three chiral α-amino acids, specifically alanine, serine, and isovaline, from reactants found in interstellar space. Our focus is on the crucial step in the synthesis pathway that determines the chirality of the amino acids. The results indicate that in the case of alanine, the determination of enantiomer is primarily influenced by the direction of the collision of molecules or functional groups, which leads to the formation of a chirality center in a crucial intermediate. However, contrary to chemical expectations, the enantiodetermining/enantioselection step for serine and isovaline synthesis occurs prior to the creation of a chirality center.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingli Liao
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
| | - Peng Xie
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Zhao Wang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
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3
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Dujardin A, Himbert S, Pudritz R, Rheinstädter MC. The Formation of RNA Pre-Polymers in the Presence of Different Prebiotic Mineral Surfaces Studied by Molecular Dynamics Simulations. LIFE (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 13:life13010112. [PMID: 36676060 PMCID: PMC9860743 DOI: 10.3390/life13010112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
We used all-atom Molecular Dynamics (MD) computer simulations to study the formation of pre-polymers between the four nucleotides in RNA (AMP, UMP, CMP, GMP) in the presence of different substrates that could have been present in a prebiotic environment. Pre-polymers are C3'-C5' hydrogen-bonded nucleotides that have been suggested to be the precursors of phosphodiester-bonded RNA polymers. We simulated wet-dry cycles by successively removing water molecules from the simulations, from ~60 to 3 water molecules per nucleotide. The nine substrates in this study include three clay minerals, one mica, one phosphate mineral, one silica, and two metal oxides. The substrates differ in their surface charge and ability to form hydrogen bonds with the nucleotides. From the MD simulations, we quantify the interactions between different nucleotides, and between nucleotides and substrates. For comparison, we included graphite as an inert substrate, which is not charged and cannot form hydrogen bonds. We also simulated the dehydration of a nucleotide-only system, which mimics the drying of small droplets. The number of hydrogen bonds between nucleotides and nucleotides and substrates was found to increase significantly when water molecules were removed from the systems. The largest number of C3'-C5' hydrogen bonds between nucleotides occurred in the graphite and nucleotide-only systems. While the surface of the substrates led to an organization and periodic arrangement of the nucleotides, none of the substrates was found to be a catalyst for pre-polymer formation, neither at full hydration, nor when dehydrated. While confinement and dehydration seem to be the main drivers for hydrogen bond formation, substrate interactions reduced the interactions between nucleotides in all cases. Our findings suggest that small supersaturated water droplets that could have been produced by geysers or springs on the primitive Earth may play an important role in non-enzymatic RNA polymerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alix Dujardin
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1, Canada
- Origins Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1, Canada
| | - Sebastian Himbert
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1, Canada
- Origins Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1, Canada
| | - Ralph Pudritz
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1, Canada
- Origins Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1, Canada
| | - Maikel C. Rheinstädter
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1, Canada
- Origins Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1, Canada
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(905)-525-9140-23134; Fax: +1-(905)-546-1252
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4
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Lawson KE, Dekle JK, Adamczyk AJ. Towards pharmaceutical protein stabilization: DFT and statistical learning studies on non-enzymatic peptide hydrolysis degradation mechanisms. COMPUT THEOR CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.comptc.2022.113938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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5
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Tracing the Primordial Chemical Life of Glycine: A Review from Quantum Chemical Simulations. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23084252. [PMID: 35457069 PMCID: PMC9030215 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23084252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycine (Gly), NH2CH2COOH, is the simplest amino acid. Although it has not been directly detected in the interstellar gas-phase medium, it has been identified in comets and meteorites, and its synthesis in these environments has been simulated in terrestrial laboratory experiments. Likewise, condensation of Gly to form peptides in scenarios resembling those present in a primordial Earth has been demonstrated experimentally. Thus, Gly is a paradigmatic system for biomolecular building blocks to investigate how they can be synthesized in astrophysical environments, transported and delivered by fragments of asteroids (meteorites, once they land on Earth) and comets (interplanetary dust particles that land on Earth) to the primitive Earth, and there react to form biopolymers as a step towards the emergence of life. Quantum chemical investigations addressing these Gly-related events have been performed, providing fundamental atomic-scale information and quantitative energetic data. However, they are spread in the literature and difficult to harmonize in a consistent way due to different computational chemistry methodologies and model systems. This review aims to collect the work done so far to characterize, at a quantum mechanical level, the chemical life of Gly, i.e., from its synthesis in the interstellar medium up to its polymerization on Earth.
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6
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Brigiano FS, Gierada M, Tielens F, Pietrucci F. Mechanism and Free-Energy Landscape of Peptide Bond Formation at the Silica–Water Interface. ACS Catal 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.1c05635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Flavio Siro Brigiano
- General Chemistry (ALGC), Materials Modeling Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussel, Belgium
| | - Maciej Gierada
- General Chemistry (ALGC), Materials Modeling Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussel, Belgium
- Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Cracow University of Technology, ul. Warszawska 24, 31-155 Kraków, Poland
| | - Frederik Tielens
- General Chemistry (ALGC), Materials Modeling Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussel, Belgium
| | - Fabio Pietrucci
- Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, UMR CNRS 7590, IRD, Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, IMPMC, F-75005 Paris, France
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7
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Wang R, Klein ML, Carnevale V, Borguet E. Investigations of water/oxide interfaces by molecular dynamics simulations. WIRES COMPUTATIONAL MOLECULAR SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/wcms.1537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ruiyu Wang
- Department of Chemistry Temple University Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA
- Center for Complex Materials from First Principles (CCM) Temple University Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA
| | - Michael L. Klein
- Department of Chemistry Temple University Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA
- Center for Complex Materials from First Principles (CCM) Temple University Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA
- Institute for Computational Molecular Science, Temple University Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA
| | - Vincenzo Carnevale
- Institute for Computational Molecular Science, Temple University Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA
- Department of Biology Temple University Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA
| | - Eric Borguet
- Department of Chemistry Temple University Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA
- Center for Complex Materials from First Principles (CCM) Temple University Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA
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8
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Prebiotic chemistry and origins of life research with atomistic computer simulations. Phys Life Rev 2020; 34-35:105-135. [DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2018.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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9
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Pantaleone S, Rimola A, Sodupe M. Canonical, deprotonated, or zwitterionic? II. A computational study on amino acid interaction with the TiO 2(110) rutile surface: comparison with the anatase (101) surface. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:16862-16876. [PMID: 32666992 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp01429j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The adsorption of 11 amino acids (Gly, Leu, Met, Phe, Ser, Cys, Glu, Gln, Arg, Lys, and His) on the TiO2(110) rutile surface is investigated adopting a theoretical approach, using the PBE-D2* functional as implemented in the periodic VASP code. The adsorption of the amino acids is considered in their canonical, deprotonated and zwitterionic forms. For all cases, the most stable adsorption mode adopts a bidentate (O,O) binding with surface undercoordinated Ti atoms, in agreement with previous experimental and computational studies using glycine as a test case. Such a binding mode is possible due to the surface morphology, because the Ti-Ti distances match very well with the carboxylic O-O distance. The most stable adsorption states are the deprotonated and the zwitterionic ones, the canonical one lying significantly above in energy. The relative stability between the deprotonated and the zwitterionic states results in a delicate trade-off among dative interactions (O, N, and S atoms of the amino acids with Ti atoms of the surface), H-bond interactions, dispersive forces and, to a lesser extent, steric hindrance of the amino acidic lateral chains. Finally, the difference in the amino acid adsorption between the (110) rutile and the (101) anatase surfaces is discussed both from the energetic and surface morphological standpoints, highlighting the larger reactivity of the rutile polymorph in adsorbing and deprotonating the amino acids compared with the anatase one.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Pantaleone
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain.
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10
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Pantaleone S, Salvini C, Zamirri L, Signorile M, Bonino F, Ugliengo P. A quantum mechanical study of dehydration vs. decarbonylation of formamide catalysed by amorphous silica surfaces. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:8353-8363. [PMID: 32266913 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp00572j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Formamide is abundant in the interstellar medium and was also present during the formation of the Solar system through the accretion process of interstellar dust. Under the physicochemical conditions of primordial Earth, formamide could have undergone decomposition, either via dehydration (HCN + H2O) or via decarbonylation (CO + NH3). The first reactive channel provides HCN, which is an essential molecular building block for the formation of RNA/DNA bases, crucial for the emergence of life on Earth. In this work, we studied, at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ level, the two competitive routes of formamide decomposition, i.e. dehydration and decarbonylation, either in liquid formamide (by using the polarization continuum model technique) or at the interface between liquid formamide and amorphous silica. Amorphous silica was adopted as a convenient model of the crystalline silica phases ubiquitously present in the primordial (and actual) Earth's crust, and also due to its relevance in catalysis, adsorption and chromatography. Results show that: (i) silica surface sites catalyse both decomposition channels by reducing the activation barriers by about 100 kJ mol-1 with respect to the reactions in homogeneous medium, and (ii) the dehydration channel, giving rise to HCN, is strongly favoured from a kinetic standpoint over decarbonylation, the latter being, instead, slightly favoured from a thermodynamic point of view.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Pantaleone
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), 38000 Grenoble, France.
| | - Clara Salvini
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS) Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, via P. Giuria 7, IT-10125, Torino, Italy.
| | - Lorenzo Zamirri
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS) Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, via P. Giuria 7, IT-10125, Torino, Italy.
| | - Matteo Signorile
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS) Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, via P. Giuria 7, IT-10125, Torino, Italy.
| | - Francesca Bonino
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS) Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, via P. Giuria 7, IT-10125, Torino, Italy.
| | - Piero Ugliengo
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS) Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, via P. Giuria 7, IT-10125, Torino, Italy.
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11
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Saladino R. Computational investigation of the primordial soup: Comment on "Prebiotic chemistry and origin of life research with atomistic computer simulations" by A. Pérez-Villa, F. Pietrucci, and A. M. Saitta. Phys Life Rev 2020; 34-35:149-152. [PMID: 31974057 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2020.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Saladino
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, Via S. Camillo de Lellis, University of Tuscia, 01100, Viterbo, Italy.
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12
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Gauthier JA, Dickens CF, Heenen HH, Vijay S, Ringe S, Chan K. Unified Approach to Implicit and Explicit Solvent Simulations of Electrochemical Reaction Energetics. J Chem Theory Comput 2019; 15:6895-6906. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.9b00717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A. Gauthier
- SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
| | - Colin F. Dickens
- SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
| | - Hendrik H. Heenen
- Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Sudarshan Vijay
- Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Stefan Ringe
- SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
| | - Karen Chan
- Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
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13
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Huang H, Yang S, Liu Y, Yang Y, Li H, McLeod JA, Ding G, Huang J, Kang Z. Photocatalytic Polymerization from Amino Acid to Protein by Carbon Dots at Room Temperature. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2019; 2:5144-5153. [DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.9b00805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Siwei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, China
| | | | - Yucheng Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, China
| | | | | | - Guqiao Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, China
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14
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Barcaro G, Sementa L, Carravetta V, Yano TA, Hara M, Monti S. Experimental and theoretical elucidation of catalytic pathways in TiO 2-initiated prebiotic polymerization. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:5435-5447. [PMID: 30793143 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp00167k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The tendency of glycine to form polymer chains on a rutile(110) surface under wet/dry conditions (dry-wet cycles at high temperature) is studied through a conjunction of surface sensitive experimental techniques and sequential periodic multilevel calculations that mimics the experimental procedures with models of decreasing complexity and increasing accuracy. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) experimentally confirmed that the dry-wet cycles lead to Gly polymerization on the oxide support. This was supported by all the theoretical characterizations. First, classical reactive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations based on the ReaxFF approach were used to reproduce the adsorption of the experimental glycine solution droplets sprayed onto an oxide support and to identify the most probable arrangement of the molecules that triggered the polymerization mechanisms. Then, quantum chemistry density functional tight binding (DF-TB) MDs and static density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to further explore favorable configurations and to evaluate the energy barriers of the most promising reaction pathways for the peptide bond-formation reactions. The results confirmed the fundamental role played by the substrate to thermodynamically and kinetically favor the process and disclosed its main function as an immobilizing agent: the molecules accommodated in the surface channels close to each other were the ones starting the key events of the dimerization process and the most favorable mechanism was the one where a water molecule acted as a proton exchange mediator in the condensation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Barcaro
- CNR-IPCF, Institute of Chemical and Physical Processes, via G. Moruzzi 1, I-56124 Pisa, Italy.
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Rimola A, Sodupe M, Ugliengo P. Role of Mineral Surfaces in Prebiotic Chemical Evolution. In Silico Quantum Mechanical Studies. Life (Basel) 2019; 9:E10. [PMID: 30658501 PMCID: PMC6463156 DOI: 10.3390/life9010010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2018] [Revised: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a consensus that the interaction of organic molecules with the surfaces of naturally-occurring minerals might have played a crucial role in chemical evolution and complexification in a prebiotic era. The hurdle of an overly diluted primordial soup occurring in the free ocean may have been overcome by the adsorption and concentration of relevant molecules on the surface of abundant minerals at the sea shore. Specific organic⁻mineral interactions could, at the same time, organize adsorbed molecules in well-defined orientations and activate them toward chemical reactions, bringing to an increase in chemical complexity. As experimental approaches cannot easily provide details at atomic resolution, the role of in silico computer simulations may fill that gap by providing structures and reactive energy profiles at the organic⁻mineral interface regions. Accordingly, numerous computational studies devoted to prebiotic chemical evolution induced by organic⁻mineral interactions have been proposed. The present article aims at reviewing recent in silico works, mainly focusing on prebiotic processes occurring on the mineral surfaces of clays, iron sulfides, titanium dioxide, and silica and silicates simulated through quantum mechanical methods based on the density functional theory (DFT). The DFT is the most accurate way in which chemists may address the behavior of the molecular world through large models mimicking chemical complexity. A perspective on possible future scenarios of research using in silico techniques is finally proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Rimola
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
| | - Mariona Sodupe
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
| | - Piero Ugliengo
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS), Università degli Studi di Torino, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125 Torino, Italy.
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16
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Li G, Pidko EA. The Nature and Catalytic Function of Cation Sites in Zeolites: a Computational Perspective. ChemCatChem 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201801493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Guanna Li
- Department Chemical EngineeringDelft University of Technology Van der Maasweg 9 Delft 2629 HZ The Netherlands
| | - Evgeny A. Pidko
- Department Chemical EngineeringDelft University of Technology Van der Maasweg 9 Delft 2629 HZ The Netherlands
- ITMO University Lomonosova str. 9 St. Petersburg 191002 Russia
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Pantaleone S, Ugliengo P, Sodupe M, Rimola A. When the Surface Matters: Prebiotic Peptide-Bond Formation on the TiO 2 (101) Anatase Surface through Periodic DFT-D2 Simulations. Chemistry 2018; 24:16292-16301. [PMID: 30212609 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201803263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The mechanism of the peptide-bond formation between two glycine (Gly) molecules has been investigated by means of PBE-D2* and PBE0-D2* periodic simulations on the TiO2 (101) anatase surface. This is a process of great relevance both in fundamental prebiotic chemistry, as the reaction univocally belongs to one of the different organizational events that ultimately led to the emergence of life on Earth, as well as from an industrial perspective, since formation of amides is a key reaction for pharmaceutical companies. The efficiency of the surface catalytic sites is demonstrated by comparing the reactions in the gas phase and on the surface. At variance with the uncatalyzed gas-phase reaction, which involves a concerted nucleophilic attack and dehydration step, on the surface these two steps occur along a stepwise mechanism. The presence of surface Lewis and Brönsted sites exerts some catalytic effect by lowering the free energy barrier for the peptide-bond formation by about 6 kcal mol-1 compared to the gas-phase reaction. Moreover, the co-presence of molecules acting as proton-transfer assistants (i.e., H2 O and Gly) provide a more significant kinetic energy barrier decrease. The reaction on the surface is also favorable from a thermodynamic standpoint, involving very large and negative reaction energies. This is due to the fact that the anatase surface also acts as a dehydration agent during the condensation reaction, since the outermost coordinatively unsaturated Ti atoms strongly anchor the released water molecules. Our theoretical results provide a comprehensive atomistic interpretation of the experimental results of Martra et al. (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 4671), in which polyglycine formation was obtained by successive feedings of Gly vapor on TiO2 surfaces in dry conditions and are, therefore, relevant in a prebiotic context envisaging dry and wet cycles occurring, at mineral surfaces, in a small pool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Pantaleone
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Piero Ugliengo
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS), Inter-Departmental centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - Mariona Sodupe
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Albert Rimola
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Catalonia, Spain
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18
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Rimola A, Fabbiani M, Sodupe M, Ugliengo P, Martra G. How Does Silica Catalyze the Amide Bond Formation under Dry Conditions? Role of Specific Surface Silanol Pairs. ACS Catal 2018. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.7b03961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Albert Rimola
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Marco Fabbiani
- Dipartimento de Scienza e Alta Tecnologia, Università degli Studi dell’insubria, Via Valleggio 11, 22100 Como, Italy
| | - Mariona Sodupe
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Piero Ugliengo
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS) Inter-Departmental centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125 Torino, Italy
| | - Gianmario Martra
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS) Inter-Departmental centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125 Torino, Italy
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Iqubal MA, Sharma R, Jheeta S, Kamaluddin. Thermal Condensation of Glycine and Alanine on Metal Ferrite Surface: Primitive Peptide Bond Formation Scenario. Life (Basel) 2017; 7:E15. [PMID: 28346388 PMCID: PMC5492137 DOI: 10.3390/life7020015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Revised: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The amino acid condensation reaction on a heterogeneous mineral surface has been regarded as one of the important pathways for peptide bond formation. Keeping this in view, we have studied the oligomerization of the simple amino acids, glycine and alanine, on nickel ferrite (NiFe₂O₄), cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄), copper ferrite (CuFe₂O₄), zinc ferrite (ZnFe₂O₄), and manganese ferrite (MnFe₂O₄) nanoparticles surfaces, in the temperature range from 50-120 °C for 1-35 days, without applying any wetting/drying cycles. Among the metal ferrites tested for their catalytic activity, NiFe₂O₄ produced the highest yield of products by oligomerizing glycine to the trimer level and alanine to the dimer level, whereas MnFe₂O₄ was the least efficient catalyst, producing the lowest yield of products, as well as shorter oligomers of amino acids under the same set of experimental conditions. It produced primarily diketopiperazine (Ala) with a trace amount of alanine dimer from alanine condensation, while glycine was oligomerized to the dimer level. The trend in product formation is in accordance with the surface area of the minerals used. A temperature as low as 50 °C can even favor peptide bond formation in the present study, which is important in the sense that the condensation process is highly feasible without any sort of localized heat that may originate from volcanoes or hydrothermal vents. However, at a high temperature of 120 °C, anhydrides of glycine and alanine formation are favored, while the optimum temperature for the highest yield of product formation was found to be 90 °C.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Asif Iqubal
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247 667, Uttarakhand, India.
| | - Rachana Sharma
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247 667, Uttarakhand, India.
| | - Sohan Jheeta
- Network of Researchers on Horizontal Gene Transfer and Last Universal, Common Ancestor Leeds, Leeds LS7 3RB, UK.
| | - Kamaluddin
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247 667, Uttarakhand, India.
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Sproul G. Abiogenic Syntheses of Lipoamino Acids and Lipopeptides and their Prebiotic Significance. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2015; 45:427-37. [PMID: 26248658 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-015-9451-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2014] [Accepted: 03/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Researchers have formed peptide bonds under a variety of presumed prebiotic conditions. Here it is proposed that these same conditions would have also formed amide bonds between fatty acids and amino acids, producing phosphate-free amphipathic lipoamino acids and lipopeptides. These compounds are known to form vesicles and are ubiquitous in living organisms. They could represent molecules that provided protection by membranes as well as possibilities for proto-life metabolism . It is here demonstrated that when a fatty acid is heated with various amino acids, optimally in the presence of suitable salts or minerals, lipoamino acids are formed. Magnesium and potassium carbonates as well as iron (II) sulfide are found to be particularly useful in these reactions. In this manner N-lauroylglycine, N-lauroylalanine, N-stearoylalanine and several other lipoamino acids have been synthesized. Similarly, when glycylglycine was heated with lauric acid in the presence of magnesium carbonate, the lipopeptide N-lauroylglycylglycine was formed. Such compounds are proposed to have been critical precursors to the development of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon Sproul
- University of South Carolina Beaufort, 801 Carteret St, Beaufort, SC, 29902, USA,
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21
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Feuillie C, Sverjensky DA, Hazen RM. Attachment of ribonucleotides on α-alumina as a function of pH, ionic strength, and surface loading. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2014; 31:240-248. [PMID: 25469864 DOI: 10.1021/la504034k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The interactions between nucleic acids and mineral surfaces have been the focus of many studies in environmental sciences, in biomedicine, as well as in origin of life studies for the prebiotic formation of biopolymers. However, few studies have focused on a wide range of environmental conditions and the likely modes of attachment. Here we investigated the adsorption of ribonucleotides onto α-alumina surfaces over a wide range of pH, ionic strength, and ligand-to-solid ratio, by both an experimental and a theoretical approach. The adsorption of ribonucleotides is strongly affected by pH, with a maximum adsorption at pH values around 5. Alumina adsorbs high amounts of nucleotides >2 μmol/m(2). We used the extended triple-layer model (ETLM) to predict the speciation of the surface complexes formed as well as the stoichiometry and equilibrium constants. We propose the formation of two surface species: a monodentate inner-sphere complex, dominant at pH <7, and a bidentate outer-sphere complex, dominant at higher pH. Both complexes would involve interactions between the negatively charged phosphate group and the positively charged surface of alumina. Our results provide a better understanding of how nucleic acids attach to mineral surfaces under varying environmental conditions. Moreover, the predicted configuration of nucleotide surface species, bound via the phosphate group, could have implications for the abiotic formation of nucleic acids in the context of the origin of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Feuillie
- Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington , 5251 Broad Branch Road North West, Washington, DC 20015, United States
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22
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Abstract
The celebrated Miller experiments reported on the spontaneous formation of amino acids from a mixture of simple molecules reacting under an electric discharge, giving birth to the research field of prebiotic chemistry. However, the chemical reactions involved in those experiments have never been studied at the atomic level. Here we report on, to our knowledge, the first ab initio computer simulations of Miller-like experiments in the condensed phase. Our study, based on the recent method of treatment of aqueous systems under electric fields and on metadynamics analysis of chemical reactions, shows that glycine spontaneously forms from mixtures of simple molecules once an electric field is switched on and identifies formic acid and formamide as key intermediate products of the early steps of the Miller reactions, and the crucible of formation of complex biological molecules.
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Martra G, Deiana C, Sakhno Y, Barberis I, Fabbiani M, Pazzi M, Vincenti M. The Formation and Self-Assembly of Long Prebiotic Oligomers Produced by the Condensation of Unactivated Amino Acids on Oxide Surfaces. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2014; 53:4671-4. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201311089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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24
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Martra G, Deiana C, Sakhno Y, Barberis I, Fabbiani M, Pazzi M, Vincenti M. The Formation and Self-Assembly of Long Prebiotic Oligomers Produced by the Condensation of Unactivated Amino Acids on Oxide Surfaces. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201311089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Fuchida S, Masuda H, Shinoda K. Peptide formation mechanism on montmorillonite under thermal conditions. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2014; 44:13-28. [PMID: 24917118 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-014-9359-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Accepted: 05/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The oligomerization of amino acids is an essential process in the chemical evolution of proteins, which are precursors to life on Earth. Although some researchers have observed peptide formation on clay mineral surfaces, the mechanism of peptide bond formation on the clay mineral surface has not been clarified. In this study, the thermal behavior of glycine (Gly) adsorbed on montmorillonite was observed during heating experiments conducted at 150 °C for 336 h under dry, wet, and dry-wet conditions to clarify the mechanism. Approximately 13.9 % of the Gly monomers became peptides on montmorillonite under dry conditions, with diketopiperazine (cyclic dimer) being the main product. On the other hand, peptides were not synthesized in the absence of montmorillonite. Results of IR analysis showed that the Gly monomer was mainly adsorbed via hydrogen bonding between the positively charged amino groups and negatively charged surface sites (i.e., Lewis base sites) on the montmorillonite surface, indicating that the Lewis base site acts as a catalyst for peptide formation. In contrast, peptides were not detected on montmorillonite heated under wet conditions, since excess water shifted the equilibrium towards hydrolysis of the peptides. The presence of water is likely to control thermodynamic peptide production, and clay minerals, especially those with electrophilic defect sites, seem to act as a kinetic catalyst for the peptide formation reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeshi Fuchida
- Department of Geosciences, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan,
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26
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Sponer JE, Mládek A, Sponer J. Structural and energetic factors controlling the enantioselectivity of dinucleotide formation under prebiotic conditions. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2013; 15:6235-42. [PMID: 23515462 DOI: 10.1039/c3cp44156c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Recently, it has been reported that the montmorillonite-catalyzed oligomerization of activated nucleotides exhibits remarkable enantioselectivity. In the current paper we investigate the structures and intrinsic energies of homochiral and heterochiral cyclic dinucleotides by means of accurate quantum chemical calculations in gas-phase and in bulk water. The steric effect of the clay is represented with geometrical constraints. Our computations reveal that the heterochiral dimer geometries are systematically less stable than their homochiral counterparts due to steric clashes inside the sugar-phosphate ring geometry. Thus we suggest that the homochiral selectivity observed in the cyclic dinucleotide formation in confined spaces may arise from the energetic destabilization of the heterochiral ring geometries as compared to their homochiral analogues. In the present paper we provide the first model of the 3D structure of d,l cyclic dinucleotides, which until now has eluded experimental observation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit E Sponer
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic.
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27
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Deiana C, Sakhno Y, Fabbiani M, Pazzi M, Vincenti M, Martra G. Direct Synthesis of Amides from Carboxylic Acids and Amines by Using Heterogeneous Catalysts: Evidence of Surface Carboxylates as Activated Electrophilic Species. ChemCatChem 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201300164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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28
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Non-biological selectivity in amino acids polymerization on TiO2 nanoparticles. Amino Acids 2013; 45:403-6. [DOI: 10.1007/s00726-013-1516-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2012] [Accepted: 05/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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29
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Lambert JF, Jaber M, Georgelin T, Stievano L. A comparative study of the catalysis of peptide bond formation by oxide surfaces. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2013; 15:13371-80. [DOI: 10.1039/c3cp51282g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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30
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Morales-Serna JA, Jaime-Vasconcelos MÁ, García-Ríos E, Cruz A, Angeles-Beltrán D, Lomas-Romero L, Negrón-Silva GE, Cárdenas J. Efficient activity of magnesium–aluminium hydrotalcite in the synthesis of amides. RSC Adv 2013. [DOI: 10.1039/c3ra42335b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
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31
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Danger G, Plasson R, Pascal R. Pathways for the formation and evolution of peptides in prebiotic environments. Chem Soc Rev 2012; 41:5416-29. [PMID: 22688720 DOI: 10.1039/c2cs35064e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
α-Amino acids are easily accessible through abiotic processes and were likely present before the emergence of life. However, the role they could have played in the process remains uncertain. Chemical pathways that could have brought about features of self-organization in a peptide world are considered in this review and discussed in relation with their possible contribution to the origin of life. An overall scheme is proposed with an emphasis on possibilities that may have led to dynamically stable far from equilibrium states. This analysis defines new lines of investigation towards a better understanding of the contribution of the systems chemistry of amino acids and peptides to the emergence of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grégoire Danger
- Spectrométries et Dynamique Moléculaire, Physique des Interactions Ioniques et Moléculaires (UMR CNRS 7345, Université de Provence) - Centre de St Jérôme - case 252, Avenue Escadrille Normandie-Niémen, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France.
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32
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Beck W. Metal Complexes of Biologically Important Ligands, CLXXVI.[1] Formation of Peptides within the Coordination Sphere of Metal Ions and of Classical and Organometallic Complexes and Some Aspects of Prebiotic Chemistry. Z Anorg Allg Chem 2011. [DOI: 10.1002/zaac.201100137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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33
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Phuakkong O, Bobuatong K, Pantu P, Boekfa B, Probst M, Limtrakul J. Glycine peptide bond formation catalyzed by faujasite. Chemphyschem 2011; 12:2160-8. [PMID: 21698739 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201100047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The catalysis of peptide bond formation between two glycine molecules on H-FAU zeolite was computationally studied by the M08-HX density functional. Two reaction pathways, the concerted and the stepwise mechanism, starting from three differently adsorbed reactants, amino-bound, carboxyl-bound, and hydroxyl-bound, are studied. Adsorption energies, activation energies, and reaction energies, as well as the corresponding intrinsic rate constants were calculated. A comparison of the computed energetics of the various reaction paths for glycine indicates that the catalyzed reaction proceeds preferentially via the concerted reaction mechanism of the hydroxyl-bound configuration. This involves an eight-membered ring of the transition structure instead of the four-membered ring of the others. The step from the amino-bound configuration to glycylglycine is the rate-determining step of the concerted mechanism. It has an estimated activation energy of 51.2 kcal mol(-1). Although the catalytic reaction can also occur via the stepwise reaction mechanism, this path is not favored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oranit Phuakkong
- Laboratory for Computational and Applied Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University Research and Development Institute, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
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34
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Schreiner E, Nair NN, Wittekindt C, Marx D. Peptide Synthesis in Aqueous Environments: The Role of Extreme Conditions and Pyrite Mineral Surfaces on Formation and Hydrolysis of Peptides. J Am Chem Soc 2011; 133:8216-26. [DOI: 10.1021/ja111503z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eduard Schreiner
- Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Chemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Nisanth N. Nair
- Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Chemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Carsten Wittekindt
- Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Chemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Dominik Marx
- Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Chemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
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35
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Ugliengo P, Rimola A, Sodupe M. In silico study of the interstellar prebiotic formation and delivery of glycine. RENDICONTI LINCEI 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s12210-011-0122-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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36
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Wu J, Zhang Z, Yu X, Pan H, Jiang W, Xu X, Tang R. Mechanism of promoted dipeptide formation on hydroxyapatite crystal surfaces. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s11434-010-4314-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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37
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Hansma HG. Possible origin of life between mica sheets. J Theor Biol 2010; 266:175-88. [PMID: 20558181 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2010.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2009] [Revised: 04/21/2010] [Accepted: 06/08/2010] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The mica hypothesis is a new hypothesis about how life might have originated. The mica hypothesis provides simple solutions to many basic questions about the origins of life. In the mica hypothesis, the spaces between mica sheets functioned as the earliest cells. These 'cells' between mica sheets are filled with potassium ions, and they provide an environment in which: polymer entropy is low; cyclic wetting and drying can occur; molecules can evolve in isolated spaces and also migrate and ligate to form larger molecules. The mica hypothesis also proposes that mechanical energy (work) is a major energy source that could have been used on many length scales to form covalent bonds, to alter polymer conformations, and to bleb daughter cells off protocells. The mica hypothesis is consistent with many other origins hypotheses, including the RNA, lipid, and metabolic 'worlds'. Therefore the mica hypothesis has the potential to unify origins hypotheses, such that different molecular components and systems could simultaneously evolve in the spaces between mica sheets.
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38
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Geatches DL, Clark SJ, Greenwell HC. Role of Clay Minerals in Oil-Forming Reactions. J Phys Chem A 2010; 114:3569-75. [DOI: 10.1021/jp9096869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dawn L. Geatches
- Physics and Chemistry Departments, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - Stewart J. Clark
- Physics and Chemistry Departments, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - Hugh C. Greenwell
- Physics and Chemistry Departments, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
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39
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Pérez-Badell Y, Solans-Monfort X, Sodupe M, Montero LA. A DFT periodic study on the interaction between O2and cation exchanged chabazite MCHA (M = H+, Na+ or Cu+): effects in the triplet–singlet energy gap. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2010; 12:442-52. [DOI: 10.1039/b914699g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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40
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Tilocca A. Models of structure, dynamics and reactivity of bioglasses: a review. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1039/c0jm01081b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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41
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Sainz-Díaz CI, Francisco-Márquez M, Vivier-Bunge A. Molecular structure and spectroscopic properties of polyaromatic heterocycles by first principle calculations: spectroscopic shifts with the adsorption of thiophene on phyllosilicate surface. Theor Chem Acc 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s00214-009-0666-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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42
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Rimola A, Ugliengo P, Sodupe M. Formation versus hydrolysis of the peptide bond from a quantum-mechanical viewpoint: The role of mineral surfaces and implications for the origin of life. Int J Mol Sci 2009; 10:746-60. [PMID: 19399219 PMCID: PMC2672000 DOI: 10.3390/ijms10030746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2009] [Revised: 02/16/2009] [Accepted: 02/23/2009] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The condensation (polymerization by water elimination) of molecular building blocks to yield the first active biopolymers (e.g. of amino acids to form peptides) during primitive Earth is an intriguing question that nowadays still remains open since these processes are thermodynamically disfavoured in highly dilute water solutions. In the present contribution, formation and hydrolysis of glycine oligopeptides occurring on a cluster model of sanidine feldspar (001) surface have been simulated by quantum mechanical methods. Results indicate that the catalytic interplay between Lewis and Brønsted sites both present at the sanidine surface, in cooperation with the London forces acting between the biomolecules and the inorganic surface, plays a crucial role to: i) favour the condensation of glycine to yield oligopeptides as reaction products; ii) inhibit the hydrolysis of the newly formed oligopeptides. Both facts suggest that mineral surfaces may have helped in catalyzing, stabilizing and protecting from hydration the oligopeptides formed in the prebiotic era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Rimola
- Dipartimento di Chimica IFM, NIS Centre of Excellence and INSTM (Materials Science and Technology) National Consortium, University of Torino, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - Piero Ugliengo
- Dipartimento di Chimica IFM, NIS Centre of Excellence and INSTM (Materials Science and Technology) National Consortium, University of Torino, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125, Torino, Italy
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mails:
(P.U.);
(M.S.); Tel. +39-011-670-4596; Fax: +39-011-236-4596 (P.U.); Tel. +34-93-581-3031; Fax: +34-93-581-2920 (M.S.)
| | - Mariona Sodupe
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mails:
(P.U.);
(M.S.); Tel. +39-011-670-4596; Fax: +39-011-236-4596 (P.U.); Tel. +34-93-581-3031; Fax: +34-93-581-2920 (M.S.)
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43
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Rimola A, Civalleri B, Ugliengo P. Neutral vs zwitterionic glycine forms at the water/silica interface: structure, energies, and vibrational features from B3LYP periodic simulations. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2008; 24:14027-14034. [PMID: 19360956 DOI: 10.1021/la8029352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
B3LYP periodic calculations with a triple-xi-polarized Gaussian basis set have been used to study adsorption of glycine on a hydroxylated silica surface (2.2 OH/nm2) model derived from the (001) surface of edingtonite. The simulation envisages glycine adsorbed either as a gas-phase molecule or when microsolvated by up to five H20 molecules. Both neutral and zwitterionic forms of glycine have been considered and their structural, energetic, and spectroscopic vibrational features compared internally and with experiments. As a gas phase glycine sticks in its neutral form at the silica surface, the zwitterion being highly unstable and with transition-state character. When glycine is microsolvated at the silica interface, two H20 molecules render the zwitterion population comparable to that of the neutral form whereas with four H2O molecules the neutral glycine population is wiped out in favor of the zwitterion. With four H20 molecules the most stable structure shows no direct contact between glycine and the silica surface, H20 acting as a mediator via H-bond interactions. The B3LYP energies and structural data were also supported by comparing the scaled harmonic vibrational features with literature FTIR data of glycine adsorbed on an amorphous silica surface either from the gas phase or in water solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Rimola
- Dipartimento di Chimica IFM and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces, Centre of Excellence and INSTM (Materials Science and Technology) National Consortium, Università di Torino, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125 Torino, Italy
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44
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Lambert JF. Adsorption and polymerization of amino acids on mineral surfaces: a review. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2008; 38:211-42. [PMID: 18344011 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-008-9128-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 224] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2007] [Accepted: 01/24/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The present paper offers a review of recent (post-1980) work on amino acid adsorption and thermal reactivity on oxide and sulfide minerals. This review is performed in the general frame of evaluating Bernal's hypothesis of prebiotic polymerization in the adsorbed state, but written from a surface scientist's point of view. After a general discussion of the thermodynamics of the problem and exactly what effects surfaces should have to make adsorbed-state polymerization a viable scenario, we examine some practical difficulties in experimental design and their bearing on the conclusions that can be drawn from extant works, including the relevance of the various available characterization techniques. We then present the state of the art concerning the mechanisms of the interactions of amino acids with mineral surfaces, including results from prebiotic chemistry-oriented studies, but also from several different fields of application, and discuss the likely consequences for adsorption selectivities. Finally, we briefly summarize the data concerning thermally activated amide bond formation of adsorbed amino acids without activating agents. The reality of the phenomenon is established beyond any doubt, but our understanding of its mechanism and therefore of its prebiotic potential is very fragmentary. The review concludes with a discussion of future work needed to fill the most conspicuous gaps in our knowledge of amino acids/mineral surfaces systems and their reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-François Lambert
- Laboratoire de Réactivité de Surface, UMR CNRS 7609, UPMC Univ Paris 06 and CNRS, Paris, France.
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45
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Rimola A, Ugliengo P. A quantum mechanical study of the reactivity of (SiO)2-defective silica surfaces. J Chem Phys 2008; 128:204702. [DOI: 10.1063/1.2929827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
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Schreiner E, Nair NN, Marx D. Influence of Extreme Thermodynamic Conditions and Pyrite Surfaces on Peptide Synthesis in Aqueous Media. J Am Chem Soc 2008; 130:2768-70. [DOI: 10.1021/ja7108085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eduard Schreiner
- Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Chemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Nisanth N. Nair
- Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Chemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Dominik Marx
- Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Chemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
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