1
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Qiu L, Cooks RG. Oxazolone mediated peptide chain extension and homochirality in aqueous microdroplets. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2309360120. [PMID: 38165938 PMCID: PMC10786291 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2309360120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Peptide formation from amino acids is thermodynamically unfavorable but a recent study provided evidence that the reaction occurs at the air/solution interfaces of aqueous microdroplets. Here, we show that i) the suggested amino acid complex in microdroplets undergoes dehydration to form oxazolone; ii) addition of water to oxazolone forms the dipeptide; and iii) reaction of oxazolone with other amino acids forms tripeptides. Furthermore, the chirality of the reacting amino acids is preserved in the oxazolone product, and strong chiral selectivity is observed when converting the oxazolone to tripeptide. This last fact ensures that optically impure amino acids will undergo chain extension to generate pure homochiral peptides. Peptide formation in bulk by wet-dry cycling shares a common pathway with the microdroplet reaction, both involving the oxazolone intermediate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingqi Qiu
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN47907
| | - R. Graham Cooks
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN47907
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2
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Li Y, Kurokawa H, Sekine Y, Kebukawa Y, Nakano Y, Kitadai N, Zhang N, Zang X, Ueno Y, Fujimori G, Nakamura R, Fujishima K, Isa J. Aqueous breakdown of aspartate and glutamate to n-ω-amino acids on the parent bodies of carbonaceous chondrites and asteroid Ryugu. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadh7845. [PMID: 38100590 PMCID: PMC10848742 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh7845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Amino acids in carbonaceous chondrites may have seeded the origin of life on Earth and possibly elsewhere. Recently, the return samples from a C-type asteroid Ryugu were found to contain amino acids with a similar distribution to Ivuna-type CI chondrites, suggesting the potential of amino acid abundances as molecular descriptors of parent body geochemistry. However, the chemical mechanisms responsible for the amino acid distributions remain to be elucidated particularly at low temperatures (<50°C). Here, we report that two representative proteinogenic amino acids, aspartic acid and glutamic acid, decompose to β-alanine and γ-aminobutyric acid, respectively, under simulated geoelectrochemical conditions at 25°C. This low-temperature conversion provides a plausible explanation for the enrichment of these two n-ω-amino acids compared to their precursors in heavily aqueously altered CI chondrites and Ryugu's return samples. The results suggest that these heavily aqueously altered samples originated from the water-rich mantle of their water/rock differentiated parent planetesimals where protein α-amino acids were decomposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yamei Li
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Kurokawa
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Department of Earth Science and Astronomy, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Yasuhito Sekine
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
- Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Japan Kanazawa University, Ishikawa, Kanazawa, Kakumachi 920-1192, Japan
- Planetary Plasma and Atmospheric Research Center, Tohoku University, Aramaki-aza-Aoba 6-3, Aoba, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8578, Japan
| | - Yoko Kebukawa
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogayaku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Yuko Nakano
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Norio Kitadai
- Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka 237-0061, Japan
| | - Naizhong Zhang
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Xiaofeng Zang
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Yuichiro Ueno
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
- Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka 237-0061, Japan
| | - Gen Fujimori
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogayaku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Ryuhei Nakamura
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Biofunctional Catalyst Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kosuke Fujishima
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, 5322 Endo, Fujisawa 252-0882, Japan
| | - Junko Isa
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Planetary Exploration Research Center, Chiba Institute of Technology, 2-17-1 Tsudanuma, Narashino, Chiba 275-0016, Japan
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3
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YASHIMA E. Synthesis and applications of helical polymers with dynamic and static memories of helicity. PROCEEDINGS OF THE JAPAN ACADEMY. SERIES B, PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2023; 99:438-459. [PMID: 37853628 PMCID: PMC10822720 DOI: 10.2183/pjab.99.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
This review mainly highlights our studies on the synthesis of one-handed helical polymers with a static memory of helicity based on the noncovalent helicity induction with a helical-sense bias and subsequent memory of the helicity approach that we developed during the past decade. Apart from the previous approaches, an excess one-handed helical conformation, once induced by nonracemic molecules, is immediately retained ("memorized") after the complete removal of the nonracemic molecules, accompanied by a significant amplification of the asymmetry, providing novel switchable chiral materials for chromatographic enantioseparation and asymmetric catalysis as well as a highly sensitive colorimetric and fluorescence chiral sensor. A conceptually new one-handed helix formation in a racemic helical polymer composed of racemic repeating units through the deracemization of the pendants is described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eiji YASHIMA
- Department of Molecular and Macromolecular Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
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4
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Ishii C, Hamase K. Two-dimensional LC-MS/MS and three-dimensional LC analysis of chiral amino acids and related compounds in real-world matrices. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2023; 235:115627. [PMID: 37633168 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2023.115627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Amino acids normally have a chiral carbon and d/l-enantiomers are present. Due to the homochirality features on the present Earth, l-enantiomers are predominant in the living beings and the d-enantiomers are rare. Along with the progress and development of cutting edge analytical methods, several d-amino acids were found even in the higher animals including humans, and their biological functions and diagnostic values have also been reported. However, the amounts of these d-amino acids are much lower than the l-forms, and development/utilization of highly sensitive and selective methods are practically essential to avoid the disturbance from uncountable intrinsic substances. In the present review, multi-dimensional HPLC methods for the determination of chiral amino acids, especially two-dimensional LC-MS/MS and three-dimensional LC methods, and their applications to a variety of real-world matrices are summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiharu Ishii
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Kenji Hamase
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.
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5
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Bocková J, Jones NC, Topin J, Hoffmann SV, Meinert C. Uncovering the chiral bias of meteoritic isovaline through asymmetric photochemistry. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3381. [PMID: 37291172 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39177-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Systematic enrichments of L-amino acids in meteorites is a strong indication that biological homochirality originated beyond Earth. Although still unresolved, stellar UV circularly polarized light (CPL) is the leading hypothesis to have caused the symmetry breaking in space. This involves the differential absorption of left- and right-CPL, a phenomenon called circular dichroism, which enables chiral discrimination. Here we unveil coherent chiroptical spectra of thin films of isovaline enantiomers, the first step towards asymmetric photolysis experiments using a tunable laser set-up. As analogues to amino acids adsorbed on interstellar dust grains, CPL-helicity dependent enantiomeric excesses of up to 2% were generated in isotropic racemic films of isovaline. The low efficiency of chirality transfer from broadband CPL to isovaline could explain why its enantiomeric excess is not detected in the most pristine chondrites. Notwithstanding, small, yet consistent L-biases induced by stellar CPL would have been crucial for its amplification during aqueous alteration of meteorite parent bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Bocková
- Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN), CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, 06108, Nice, France
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jérémie Topin
- Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN), CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, 06108, Nice, France
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN), CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, 06108, Nice, France.
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6
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Oba Y, Takano Y, Dworkin JP, Naraoka H. Ryugu asteroid sample return provides a natural laboratory for primordial chemical evolution. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3107. [PMID: 37253735 PMCID: PMC10229536 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38518-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Oba
- Institute of Low Temperature Science (ILTS), Hokkaido University, N19W8 Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-0819, Japan.
| | - Yoshinori Takano
- Biogeochemistry Research Center (BGC), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Natsushima, Yokosuka, 237-0061, Japan.
| | - 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
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7
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Watanabe N, Hori Y, Shoji M, Boero M, Shigeta Y. Organocatalytic-racemization reaction elucidation of aspartic acid by density functional theory. Chirality 2023. [PMID: 37122074 DOI: 10.1002/chir.23573] [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: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Aldehydes and carboxylic acids are widely used as catalysts for efficient racemization process of amino acids. However, the detailed reaction mechanism remains unclear. This work aims to clarify the racemization mechanism of aspartic acid (Asp) catalyzed by salicylaldehyde and acetic acid by using computational approaches. Density functional theory was used to obtain the structures and relative energies of 10 intermediates and five transition states, thus characterizing the main stages of the reaction. The calculated energy diagram shows that the dehydration step has the highest energy barrier, followed by the reaction step to change the chirality of Asp, which is a crucial process for racemization. In the dehydration reaction, water molecules can induce a remarkable decrease in the required energy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natsuki Watanabe
- Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Yuta Hori
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Mitsuo Shoji
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
- JST-PRESTO, Kawaguchi, Japan
| | - Mauro Boero
- Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR 7504, 23 Rue du Loess, France
| | - Yasuteru Shigeta
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
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8
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Shoji M, Kitazawa Y, Sato A, Watanabe N, Boero M, Shigeta Y, Umemura M. Enantiomeric Excesses of Aminonitrile Precursors Determine the Homochirality of Amino Acids. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:3243-3248. [PMID: 36975120 PMCID: PMC10084466 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c03862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
High enantiomeric excesses (ee's) of l-amino acids, including non-proteinogenic amino acid isovaline (Iva), were discovered in the Murchison meteorite, but the detailed molecular mechanism responsible for the observed ee of amino acids remains elusive and inconsistent, because Iva has an inverted circular dichroism (CD) spectrum with respect to α-H amino acids, e.g., alanine. To address this issue, we resort to accurate ab initio calculations for amino acids and their precursors in the Strecker synthesis. We evaluated their photolysis-induced ee in the range 5-11 eV including the Lyman alpha emission line (Lyα), the typical intensive 10.2 eV radiation ascribed to the early phase of galactic evolution. We show that only the aminonitrile precursors are characterized by positive ee in the Lyα region, explaining why right-handed circularly polarized Lyα (R-CP-Lyα) induces homologous l-amino acids. This study shows that the homochirality of amino acids is produced at the aminonitrile precursors stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitsuo Shoji
- Center
for Computational Sciences, University of
Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
- JST-PRESTO, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Yuya Kitazawa
- Graduate
School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University
of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan
| | - Akimasa Sato
- Graduate
School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University
of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan
| | - Natsuki Watanabe
- Graduate
School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University
of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan
| | - Mauro Boero
- University
of Strasbourg, Institut de Physique
et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR 7504, 23 rue du Loess, Strasbourg F-67034, France
| | - Yasuteru Shigeta
- Center
for Computational Sciences, University of
Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| | - Masayuki Umemura
- Center
for Computational Sciences, University of
Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
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9
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Garcia AD, Topin J, Bocková J, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Meinert C. Chiroptical activity of gas-phase propylene oxide predicting the handedness of interstellar circular polarization in the presolar nebula. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eadd4614. [PMID: 36399555 PMCID: PMC9674286 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add4614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Propylene oxide, the first chiral molecule recently detected in the interstellar medium, has once again raised the question whether biomolecular chirality might have cosmic origins. However, accurate chiroptical properties of propylene oxide in the ultraviolet spectral range necessary to suggest possible asymmetric synthetic routes in the gas phase are scarce. Here, we report on the first experimental measurements of the anisotropy spectra of gas-phase propylene oxide in the vacuum ultraviolet spectral range. Our experimental results provide novel insights into the handedness of interstellar circular polarization at the dawn of molecular evolution of our star- and planet-forming region. Besides the fundamental importance of this new investigation for understanding the origin and evolution of homochirality on Earth, our high-resolution experimental electronic circular dichroism data will inspire new efforts in quantum computational spectroscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien D. Garcia
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, Nice 06108, France
| | - Jérémie Topin
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, Nice 06108, France
| | - Jana Bocková
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, Nice 06108, France
| | - Nykola C. Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Søren V. Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, Nice 06108, France
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10
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McGeoch JEM, McGeoch MW. Chiral 480 nm absorption in the hemoglycin space polymer: a possible link to replication. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16198. [PMID: 36171277 PMCID: PMC9519966 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21043-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
A 1494 Dalton hemoglycin space polymer of Glycine18 Hydroxy-glycine4 Fe2O4 termed the "core unit" is part of a polymer of Glycine, Si, Fe and O that forms tubes, vesicles and a lattice structure. It has been isolated from four different CV3 meteorites and characterized by mass spectrometry, FIB/SIMS and X-ray analysis. In quantum calculations (HF and DF wB97X-D 6-31G) the polymer has an absorption at 480 nm that is dependent on rectus "R" (= dextro D) chirality in a hydroxy glycine residue whose C-terminus is bonded to an iron atom. The absorption originates in the Fe II state as a consequence of chiral symmetry breaking. In confirmation of theory, measurements at Diamond Light Source UK, on crystals of hemoglycin derived from Acfer-086 and Sutter's Mill meteorites have shown a strong 483 ± 3 nm absorption that confirms the proposed location of hydroxy glycine residues within the polymer. A high 483 nm to 580 nm absorption ratio points to an "R" chirality excess in hemoglycin, suggesting that 480 nm photons could have provided the energy for its replication in the protoplanetary disc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie E M McGeoch
- High Energy Physics DIV, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, 60 Garden St, MS 70, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
| | - Malcolm W McGeoch
- PLEX Corporation, 275 Martine St, Suite 100, Fall River, MA, 02723, USA
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11
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Kaiser RI, Zhao L, Lu W, Ahmed M, Evseev MM, Azyazov VN, Mebel AM, Mohamed RK, Fischer FR, Li X. Gas-phase synthesis of racemic helicenes and their potential role in the enantiomeric enrichment of sugars and amino acids in meteorites. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:25077-25087. [PMID: 36056687 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp03084e] [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
The molecular origins of homochirality on Earth is not understood well, particularly how enantiomerically enriched molecules of astrobiological significance like sugars and amino acids might have been synthesized on icy grains in space preceding their delivery to Earth. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) identified in carbonaceous chondrites could have been processed in molecular clouds by circularly polarized light prior to the depletion of enantiomerically enriched helicenes onto carbonaceous grains resulting in chiral islands. However, the fundamental low temperature reaction mechanisms leading to racemic helicenes are still unknown. Here, by exploiting synchrotron based molecular beam photoionization mass spectrometry combined with electronic structure calculations, we provide compelling testimony on barrierless, low temperature pathways leading to racemates of [5] and [6]helicene. Astrochemical modeling advocates that gas-phase reactions in molecular clouds lead to racemates of helicenes suggesting a pathway for future astronomical observation and providing a fundamental understanding for the origin of homochirality on early Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf I Kaiser
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822, USA.
| | - Long Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822, USA.
| | - Wenchao Lu
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
| | - Musahid Ahmed
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
| | | | | | - Alexander M Mebel
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, USA.
| | - Rana K Mohamed
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Kavli Energy Nano Sciences Institute at the University of California Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Felix R Fischer
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Kavli Energy Nano Sciences Institute at the University of California Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Xiaohu Li
- Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830011, P. R. China.,Key Laboratory of Radio Astronomy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830011, P. R. China.
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12
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Van Volkenburg T, Benzing JS, Craft KL, Ohiri K, Kilhefner A, Irons K, Bradburne C. Microfluidic Chromatography for Enhanced Amino Acid Detection at Ocean Worlds. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:1116-1128. [PMID: 35984944 PMCID: PMC9508454 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Increasing interest in the detection of biogenic signatures, such as amino acids, on icy moons and bodies within our solar system has led to the development of compact in situ instruments. Given the expected dilute biosignatures and high salinities of these extreme environments, purification of icy samples before analysis enables increased detection sensitivity. Herein, we outline a novel compact cation exchange method to desalinate proteinogenic amino acids in solution, independent of the type and concentration of salts in the sample. Using a modular microfluidic device, initial experiments explored operational limits of binding capacity with phenylalanine and three model cations, Na+, Mg2+, and Ca2+. Phenylalanine recovery (94-17%) with reduced conductivity (30-200 times) was seen at high salt-to-amino-acid ratios between 25:1 and 500:1. Later experiments tested competition between mixtures of 17 amino acids and other chemistries present in a terrestrial ocean sample. Recoveries ranged from 11% to 85% depending on side chain chemistry and cation competition, with concentration shown for select high affinity amino acids. This work outlines a nondestructive amino acid purification device capable of coupling to multiple downstream analytical techniques for improved characterization of icy samples at remote ocean worlds.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kathleen L. Craft
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - Korine Ohiri
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - Ashley Kilhefner
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - Kristen Irons
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill College of Arts and Sciences, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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13
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Li Y, Kitadai N, Sekine Y, Kurokawa H, Nakano Y, Johnson-Finn K. Geoelectrochemistry-driven alteration of amino acids to derivative organics in carbonaceous chondrite parent bodies. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4893. [PMID: 35986003 PMCID: PMC9391434 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32596-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A long-standing question regarding carbonaceous chondrites (CCs) is how the CCs' organics were sourced and converted before and after the accretion of their parent bodies. Growing evidence shows that amino acid abundances in CCs decrease with an elongated aqueous alteration. However, the underlying chemical processes are unclear. If CCs' parent bodies were water-rock differentiated, pH and redox gradients can drive electrochemical reactions by using H2 as an electron source. Here, we simulate such redox conditions and demonstrate that α-amino acids are electrochemically altered to monoamines and α-hydroxy acids on FeS and NiS catalysts at 25 °C. This conversion is consistent with their enrichment compared to amino acid analogs in heavily altered CCs. Our results thus suggest that H2 can be an important driver for organic evolution in water-rock differentiated CC parent bodies as well as the Solar System icy bodies that might possess similar pH and redox gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yamei Li
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Norio Kitadai
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Super-cutting-edge Grand and Advanced Research (SUGAR) Program, Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Yasuhito Sekine
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Kurokawa
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuko Nakano
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kristin Johnson-Finn
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
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14
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Gleiser M. Biological Homochirality and the Search for Extraterrestrial Biosignatures. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2022; 52:93-104. [PMID: 35969306 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-022-09623-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Most amino acids and sugar molecules occur in mirror, or chiral, images of each other, knowns as enantiomers. However, life on Earth is mostly homochiral: proteins contain almost exclusively L-amino acids, while only D-sugars appear in RNA and DNA. The mechanism behind this fundamental asymmetry of life remains unknown, despite much progress in the theoretical and experimental understanding of homochirality in the past decades. We review three potential mechanisms for the emergence of biological homochirality on primal Earth and explore their implications for astrobiology: the first, that biological homochirality is a stochastic process driven by local environmental fluctuations; the second, that it is driven by circularly-polarized ultraviolet radiation in star-forming regions; and the third, that it is driven by parity violation at the elementary particle level. We argue that each of these mechanisms leads to different observational consequences for the existence of enantiomeric excesses in our solar system and in exoplanets, pointing to the possibility that the search for life elsewhere will help elucidate the origins of homochirality on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Gleiser
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA.
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15
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Zlenko DV, Zanin AM, Stovbun SV. Molecular Self-Assembly as a Trigger of Life Origin and Development. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2022; 52:105-111. [PMID: 35441954 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-022-09620-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The origin and reason for the homochirality of living cells go with the problem of a relatively narrow spectrum of the actual biological monomers compared to the whole theoretically possible spectrum of amino acids or carbohydrates. A limited number of bio-monomers implies some special feature differing from all other similar molecules that are not present in the living cell. Here we propose one of the candidates for such a peculiarity: the ability to form highly elongated helical supramolecular structures (strings) when precipitating from homochiral solutions. The strings' forming can be accompanied by spontaneous splitting and/or chiral purification of the initially racemic mixture. Our previous theoretical reasoning was based mainly on the biomimetic systems, while now we describe the strings forming in homochiral amino acid solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry V Zlenko
- N.N. Semenov Federal Research Center for Chemical Physics, RAS, 119334, Kosygina 4, Moscow, Russia. .,M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Biology, 119234, Lenin Hills 1/12, Moscow, Russia. .,A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, RAS, 119334, Vavilova 34, Moscow, Russia.
| | - Anatoly M Zanin
- N.N. Semenov Federal Research Center for Chemical Physics, RAS, 119334, Kosygina 4, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey V Stovbun
- N.N. Semenov Federal Research Center for Chemical Physics, RAS, 119334, Kosygina 4, Moscow, Russia
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16
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Sallembien Q, Bouteiller L, Crassous J, Raynal M. Possible chemical and physical scenarios towards biological homochirality. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:3436-3476. [PMID: 35377372 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs01179k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The single chirality of biological molecules in terrestrial biology raises more questions than certitudes about its origin. The emergence of biological homochirality (BH) and its connection with the appearance of life have elicited a large number of theories related to the generation, amplification and preservation of a chiral bias in molecules of life under prebiotically relevant conditions. However, a global scenario is still lacking. Here, the possibility of inducing a significant chiral bias "from scratch", i.e. in the absence of pre-existing enantiomerically-enriched chemical species, will be considered first. It includes phenomena that are inherent to the nature of matter itself, such as the infinitesimal energy difference between enantiomers as a result of violation of parity in certain fundamental interactions, and physicochemical processes related to interactions between chiral organic molecules and physical fields, polarized particles, polarized spins and chiral surfaces. The spontaneous emergence of chirality in the absence of detectable chiral physical and chemical sources has recently undergone significant advances thanks to the deracemization of conglomerates through Viedma ripening and asymmetric auto-catalysis with the Soai reaction. All these phenomena are commonly discussed as plausible sources of asymmetry under prebiotic conditions and are potentially accountable for the primeval chiral bias in molecules of life. Then, several scenarios will be discussed that are aimed to reflect the different debates about the emergence of BH: extra-terrestrial or terrestrial origin (where?), nature of the mechanisms leading to the propagation and enhancement of the primeval chiral bias (how?) and temporal sequence between chemical homochirality, BH and life emergence (when?). Intense and ongoing theories regarding the emergence of optically pure molecules at different moments of the evolution process towards life, i.e. at the levels of building blocks of Life, of the instructed or functional polymers, or even later at the stage of more elaborated chemical systems, will be critically discussed. The underlying principles and the experimental evidence will be commented for each scenario with particular attention on those leading to the induction and enhancement of enantiomeric excesses in proteinogenic amino acids, natural sugars, and their intermediates or derivatives. The aim of this review is to propose an updated and timely synopsis in order to stimulate new efforts in this interdisciplinary field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Sallembien
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Laurent Bouteiller
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Jeanne Crassous
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes, ISCR-UMR 6226, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Matthieu Raynal
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
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17
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Chirality in Organic and Mineral Systems: A Review of Reactivity and Alteration Processes Relevant to Prebiotic Chemistry and Life Detection Missions. Symmetry (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/sym14030460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Chirality is a central feature in the evolution of biological systems, but the reason for biology’s strong preference for specific chiralities of amino acids, sugars, and other molecules remains a controversial and unanswered question in origins of life research. Biological polymers tend toward homochiral systems, which favor the incorporation of a single enantiomer (molecules with a specific chiral configuration) over the other. There have been numerous investigations into the processes that preferentially enrich one enantiomer to understand the evolution of an early, racemic, prebiotic organic world. Chirality can also be a property of minerals; their interaction with chiral organics is important for assessing how post-depositional alteration processes could affect the stereochemical configuration of simple and complex organic molecules. In this paper, we review the properties of organic compounds and minerals as well as the physical, chemical, and geological processes that affect organic and mineral chirality during the preservation and detection of organic compounds. We provide perspectives and discussions on the reactions and analytical techniques that can be performed in the laboratory, and comment on the state of knowledge of flight-capable technologies in current and future planetary missions, with a focus on organics analysis and life detection.
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18
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Kloprogge JT(T, Hartman H. Clays and the Origin of Life: The Experiments. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:259. [PMID: 35207546 PMCID: PMC8880559 DOI: 10.3390/life12020259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
There are three groups of scientists dominating the search for the origin of life: the organic chemists (the Soup), the molecular biologists (RNA world), and the inorganic chemists (metabolism and transient-state metal ions), all of which have experimental adjuncts. It is time for Clays and the Origin of Life to have its experimental adjunct. The clay data coming from Mars and carbonaceous chondrites have necessitated a review of the role that clays played in the origin of life on Earth. The data from Mars have suggested that Fe-clays such as nontronite, ferrous saponites, and several other clays were formed on early Mars when it had sufficient water. This raised the question of the possible role that these clays may have played in the origin of life on Mars. This has put clays front and center in the studies on the origin of life not only on Mars but also here on Earth. One of the major questions is: What was the catalytic role of Fe-clays in the origin and development of metabolism here on Earth? First, there is the recent finding of a chiral amino acid (isovaline) that formed on the surface of a clay mineral on several carbonaceous chondrites. This points to the formation of amino acids on the surface of clay minerals on carbonaceous chondrites from simpler molecules, e.g., CO2, NH3, and HCN. Additionally, there is the catalytic role of small organic molecules, such as dicarboxylic acids and amino acids found on carbonaceous chondrites, in the formation of Fe-clays themselves. Amino acids and nucleotides adsorb on clay surfaces on Earth and subsequently polymerize. All of these observations and more must be subjected to strict experimental analysis. This review provides an overview of what has happened and is now happening in the experimental clay world related to the origin of life. The emphasis is on smectite-group clay minerals, such as montmorillonite and nontronite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Teunis (Theo) Kloprogge
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, Miagao 5023, Philippines
| | - Hyman Hartman
- Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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19
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Meinert C, Garcia AD, Topin J, Jones NC, Diekmann M, Berger R, Nahon L, Hoffmann SV, Meierhenrich UJ. Amino acid gas phase circular dichroism and implications for the origin of biomolecular asymmetry. Nat Commun 2022; 13:502. [PMID: 35082305 PMCID: PMC8792022 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28184-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Life on Earth employs chiral amino acids in stereochemical L-form, but the cause of molecular symmetry breaking remains unknown. Chiroptical properties of amino acids - expressed in circular dichroism (CD) - have been previously investigated in solid and solution phase. However, both environments distort the intrinsic charge distribution associated with CD transitions. Here we report on CD and anisotropy spectra of amino acids recorded in the gas phase, where any asymmetry is solely determined by the genuine electromagnetic transition moments. Using a pressure- and temperature-controlled gas cell coupled to a synchrotron radiation CD spectropolarimeter, we found CD active transitions and anisotropies in the 130-280 nm range, which are rationalized by ab initio calculation. As gas phase glycine was found in a cometary coma, our data may provide insights into gas phase asymmetric photochemical reactions in the life cycle of interstellar gas and dust, at the origin of the enantiomeric selection of life's L-amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, 06108, Nice, France.
| | - Adrien D Garcia
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, 06108, Nice, France
| | - Jérémie Topin
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, 06108, Nice, France
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mira Diekmann
- Fachbereich Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Robert Berger
- Fachbereich Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Laurent Nahon
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, L'Orme des Merisiers, 91192, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Uwe J Meierhenrich
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, 06108, Nice, France.
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20
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Zhao JJ, Zhang YF, Zhao TL, Li H, Yao QZ, Fu SQ, Zhou GT. Abiotic Formation of Calcium Oxalate under UV Irradiation and Implications for Biomarker Detection on Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:35-48. [PMID: 35020413 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A major objective in the exploration of Mars is to test the hypothesis that the planet has ever hosted life. Biogenic compounds, especially biominerals, are believed to serve as biomarkers in Raman-assisted remote sensing missions. However, the prerequisite for the development of these minerals as biomarkers is the uniqueness of their biogenesis. Herein, tetragonal bipyramidal weddellite, a type of calcium oxalate, is successfully achieved by UV-photolyzing pyruvic acid (PA). The as-prepared products are identified and characterized by micro-Raman spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Persistent mineralization of weddellite is observed with altering key experimental parameters, including pH, Ca2+ and PA concentrations. In particular, the initial concentration of PA can significantly influence the morphology of weddellite crystal. Oxalate acid is commonly of biological origin; thus calcium oxalate is considered to be a biomarker. However, our results reveal that calcium oxalate can be harvested by a UV photolysis pathway. Moreover, prebiotic sources of organics (e.g., PA, glycine, alanine, and aspartic acid) have been proven to be available through abiotic pathways. Therefore, our results may provide a new abiotic pathway of calcium oxalate formation. Considering that calcium oxalate minerals have been taken as biosignatures for the origin and early evolution of life on Earth and astrobiological investigations, its formation and accumulation by the photolysis of abiological organic compounds should be taken into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Jian Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, P.R. China
| | - Yi-Fan Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, P.R. China
| | - Tian-Lei Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, P.R. China
| | - Han Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, P.R. China
| | - Qi-Zhi Yao
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, P.R. China
| | - Sheng-Quan Fu
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, P.R. China
| | - Gen-Tao Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, P.R. China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, P.R. China
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21
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From amino acid mixtures to peptides in liquid sulphur dioxide on early Earth. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7182. [PMID: 34893619 PMCID: PMC8664857 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27527-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The formation of peptide bonds is one of the most important biochemical reaction steps. Without the development of structurally and catalytically active polymers, there would be no life on our planet. However, the formation of large, complex oligomer systems is prevented by the high thermodynamic barrier of peptide condensation in aqueous solution. Liquid sulphur dioxide proves to be a superior alternative for copper-catalyzed peptide condensations. Compared to water, amino acids are activated in sulphur dioxide, leading to the incorporation of all 20 proteinogenic amino acids into proteins. Strikingly, even extremely low initial reactant concentrations of only 50 mM are sufficient for extensive peptide formation, yielding up to 2.9% of dialanine in 7 days. The reactions carried out at room temperature and the successful use of the Hadean mineral covellite (CuS) as a catalyst, suggest a volcanic environment for the formation of the peptide world on early Earth. Peptide bond formation is one of the key biochemical reactions needed for the formation of life, but is thermodynamically unfavoured in water. Here, the authors report on the possibility of complex oligomer formation in liquid sulphur dioxide which may have existed on early Earth at the emergence of life.
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22
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Abstract
The origin of life, based on the homochirality of biomolecules, is a persistent mystery. Did life begin by using both forms of chirality, and then one of the forms disappeared? Or did the choice of homochirality precede the formation of biomolecules that could ensure replication and information transfer? Is the natural choice of L-amino acids and D-sugars on which life is based deterministic or random? Is the handedness present in/of the Universe from its beginning? The whole biosystem on the Earth, all living creatures are chiral. Many theories try to explain the origin of life and chirality on the Earth: e.g., the panspermia hypothesis, the primordial soup hypothesis, theory of parity violation in weak interactions. Additionally, heavy neutrinos and the impact of the fact that only left-handed particles decay, and even dark matter, all have to be considered.
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23
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Chance and Necessity in the Evolution of Matter to Life: A Comprehensive Hypothesis. Symmetry (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/sym13101918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Specialists in several branches of life sciences are trying to solve, piece by piece, the immensely complex puzzle of the origin of life. Some parts of the puzzle seem to appear with a rather high degree of clarity, while others remain totally obscure. We cannot be sure that life emerged only on our Earth, but we believe that the presence of large amounts of water in its liquid state is absolutely essential for the emergence and evolution of living matter. We can also assume that the latter exploits everywhere the same light elements, mainly C, H, O, N, S, and P, and somehow manipulates the same simple monomeric and polymeric organic compounds, such as alpha-amino acids, carbohydrates, nucleic bases, and surface-active carboxylic acids. The author contributes to the field by stating that all fundamental particles of our matter are “homochiral” and predominantly produce in an absolute asymmetric synthesis amino acids of L-configuration and carbohydrates of D-series. Another important point is that free atmospheric oxygen mainly stems from the photolysis of water molecules by cosmic irradiation and is not necessarily bound to living organisms on the planet.
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24
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Joseph V, Levine M. Ronald C.D. Breslow (1931-2017): A career in review. Bioorg Chem 2021; 115:104868. [PMID: 34523507 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2021.104868] [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: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Reviewed herein are key research accomplishments of Professor Ronald Charles D. Breslow (1931-2017) throughout his more than 60 year research career. These accomplishments span a wide range of topics, most notably physical organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and bioorganic chemistry. These topics are reviewed, as are topics of molecular electronics and origin of chirality, which combine to make up the bulk of this review. Also reviewed briefly are Breslow's contributions to the broader chemistry profession, including his work for the American Chemical Society and his work promoting gender equity. Throughout the article, efforts are made to put Breslow's accomplishments in the context of other work being done at the time, as well as to include subsequent iterations and elaborations of the research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Joseph
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Ariel University, Israel
| | - Mindy Levine
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Ariel University, Israel.
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25
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Smith HH, Hyde AS, Simkus DN, Libby E, Maurer SE, Graham HV, Kempes CP, Sherwood Lollar B, Chou L, Ellington AD, Fricke GM, Girguis PR, Grefenstette NM, Pozarycki CI, House CH, Johnson SS. The Grayness of the Origin of Life. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:498. [PMID: 34072344 PMCID: PMC8226951 DOI: 10.3390/life11060498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
In the search for life beyond Earth, distinguishing the living from the non-living is paramount. However, this distinction is often elusive, as the origin of life is likely a stepwise evolutionary process, not a singular event. Regardless of the favored origin of life model, an inherent "grayness" blurs the theorized threshold defining life. Here, we explore the ambiguities between the biotic and the abiotic at the origin of life. The role of grayness extends into later transitions as well. By recognizing the limitations posed by grayness, life detection researchers will be better able to develop methods sensitive to prebiotic chemical systems and life with alternative biochemistries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hillary H. Smith
- Department of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA;
- Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Andrew S. Hyde
- Department of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA;
- Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Danielle N. Simkus
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; (D.N.S.); (H.V.G.); (L.C.); (C.I.P.)
- NASA Postdoctoral Program, USRA, Columbia, MD 20146, USA
- Department of Physics, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USA
| | - Eric Libby
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA; (E.L.); (C.P.K.); (N.M.G.)
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, 90187 Umeå, Sweden
- Icelab, Umeå University, 90187 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Sarah E. Maurer
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT 06050, USA;
| | - Heather V. Graham
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; (D.N.S.); (H.V.G.); (L.C.); (C.I.P.)
- Department of Physics, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USA
| | | | | | - Luoth Chou
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; (D.N.S.); (H.V.G.); (L.C.); (C.I.P.)
- NASA Postdoctoral Program, USRA, Columbia, MD 20146, USA
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Andrew D. Ellington
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA;
- Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - G. Matthew Fricke
- Department of Computer Science, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87108, USA;
| | - Peter R. Girguis
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA;
| | - Natalie M. Grefenstette
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA; (E.L.); (C.P.K.); (N.M.G.)
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
| | - Chad I. Pozarycki
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; (D.N.S.); (H.V.G.); (L.C.); (C.I.P.)
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Christopher H. House
- Department of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA;
- Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Sarah Stewart Johnson
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
- Science, Technology and International Affairs Program, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
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26
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d'Ischia M, Manini P, Martins Z, Remusat L, O'D Alexander CM, Puzzarini C, Barone V, Saladino R. Insoluble organic matter in chondrites: Archetypal melanin-like PAH-based multifunctionality at the origin of life? Phys Life Rev 2021; 37:65-93. [PMID: 33774429 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2021.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
An interdisciplinary review of the chemical literature that points to a unifying scenario for the origin of life, referred to as the Primordial Multifunctional organic Entity (PriME) scenario, is provided herein. In the PriME scenario it is suggested that the Insoluble Organic Matter (IOM) in carbonaceous chondrites, as well as interplanetary dust particles from meteorites and comets may have played an important role in the three most critical processes involved in the origin of life, namely 1) metabolism, via a) the provision and accumulation of molecules that are the building blocks of life, b) catalysis (e.g., by templation), and c) protection of developing life molecules against radiation by excited state deactivation; 2) compartmentalization, via adsorption of compounds on the exposed organic surfaces in fractured meteorites, and 3) replication, via deaggregation, desorption and related physical phenomena. This scenario is based on the hitherto overlooked structural and physicochemical similarities between the IOM and the dark, insoluble, multifunctional melanin polymers found in bacteria and fungi and associated with the ability of these microorganisms to survive extreme conditions, including ionizing radiation. The underlying conceptual link between these two materials is strengthened by the fact that primary precursors of bacterial and fungal melanins (collectively referred to herein as allomelanins) are hydroxylated aromatic compounds like homogentisic acid and 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene, and that similar hydroxylated aromatic compounds, including hydroxynaphthalenes, figure prominently among possible components of the organic materials on dust grains and ices in the interstellar matter, and may be involved in the formation of IOM in meteorites. Inspired by this rationale, a vis-à-vis review of the properties of IOM from various chondrites and non-nitrogenous allomelanin pigments from bacteria and fungi is provided herein. The unrecognized similarities between these materials may pave the way for a novel scenario at the origin of life, in which IOM-related complex organic polymers delivered to the early Earth are proposed to serve as PriME and were preserved and transformed in those primitive forms of life that shared the ability to synthesize melanin polymers playing an important role in the critical processes underlying the establishment of terrestrial eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco d'Ischia
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy.
| | - Paola Manini
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Zita Martins
- Centro de Química Estrutural and Departamento de Engenharia Química, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Laurent Remusat
- Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie, UMR CNRS 7590, Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Conel M O'D Alexander
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW Washington, DC 20015-1305, USA
| | - Cristina Puzzarini
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 2, Bologna, I-40126, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Barone
- Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, Pisa, I-56126, Italy
| | - Raffaele Saladino
- Biological and Ecological Sciences Department (DEB), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis 01100 Viterbo, Italy
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Velbel MA, Zolensky ME. Thermal metamorphism of CM chondrites: A dehydroxylation-based peak-temperature thermometer and implications for sample return from asteroids Ryugu and Bennu. METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE 2021; 56:546-585. [PMID: 34262245 PMCID: PMC8252763 DOI: 10.1111/maps.13636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The target bodies of C-complex asteroid sample return missions are carbonaceous chondrite-like near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), chosen for the abundance and scientific importance of their organic compounds and "hydrous" (including hydroxylated) minerals, such as serpentine-group phyllosilicates. Science objectives include returning samples of pristine carbonaceous regolith from asteroids for study of the nature, history, and distribution of its constituent minerals, organic material, and other volatiles. Heating after the natural aqueous alteration that formed the abundant phyllosilicates in CM and similar carbonaceous chondrites dehydroxylated them and altered or decomposed other volumetrically minor constituents (e.g., carbonates, sulfides, organic molecules; Tonui et al. 2003, 2014). We propose a peak-temperature thermometer based on dehydroxylation as measured by analytical totals from electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) of matrices in a number of heated and aqueously altered (but not further heated) CM chondrites. Some CM lithologies in Maribo and Sutter's Mill do not exhibit the matrix dehydroxylation expected for surface temperatures expected from insolation of meteoroids with their known orbital perihelia. This suggests that insolated-heated meteoroid surfaces were lost by ablation during passage through Earth's atmosphere, and that insolation-heated material is more likely to be encountered among returned asteroid regolith samples than in meteorites. More generally, several published lines of evidence suggest that episodic heating of some CM material, most likely by impacts, continued intermittently and locally up to billions of years after assembly and early heating of ancestral CM chondrite bodies. Mission spectroscopic measures of hydration can be used to estimate the extent of dehydroxylation, and the new dehydroxylation thermometer can be used directly to select fragments of returned samples most likely to contain less thermally altered inventories of primitive organic molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A. Velbel
- Department of Earth and Environmental SciencesMichigan State University288 Farm Lane, Room 207, Natural Sciences BuildingEast LansingMichigan48824–1115USA
- Division of MeteoritesDepartment of Mineral SciencesNational Museum of Natural HistorySmithsonian InstitutionWashingtonDistrict of Columbia20013–7012USA
| | - Michael E. Zolensky
- X12 Astromaterials Research and Exploration ScienceNASA Johnson Space CenterHoustonTexas77058USA
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Aponte JC, Elsila JE, Hein JE, Dworkin JP, Glavin DP, McLain HL, Parker ET, Cao T, Berger EL, Burton AS. Analysis of amino acids, hydroxy acids, and amines in CR chondrites. METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE 2020; 55:2422-2439. [PMID: 33536738 PMCID: PMC7839561 DOI: 10.1111/maps.13586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The abundances, relative distributions, and enantiomeric and isotopic compositions of amines, amino acids, and hydroxy acids in Miller Range (MIL) 090001 and MIL 090657 meteorites were determined. Chiral distributions and isotopic compositions confirmed that most of the compounds detected were indigenous to the meteorites and not the result of terrestrial contamination. Combined with data in the literature, suites of these compounds have now been analyzed in a set of six CR chondrites, spanning aqueous alteration types 2.0-2.8. Amino acid abundances ranged from 17 to 3300 nmol g-1 across the six CRs; hydroxy acid abundances ranged from 180 to 1800 nmol g-1; and amine abundances ranged from 40 to 2100 nmol g-1. For amino acids and amines, the weakly altered chondrites contained the highest abundances, whereas hydroxy acids were most abundant in the more altered CR2.0 chondrite. Because water contents in the meteorites are orders of magnitude greater than soluble organics, synthesis of hydroxy acids, which requires water, may be less affected by aqueous alteration than amines and amino acids that require nitrogen-bearing precursors. Two chiral amino acids that were plausibly extraterrestrial in origin were present with slight enantiomeric excesses: L-isovaline (~10% excess) and D-β-amino-n-butyric acid (~9% excess); further studies are needed to verify that the chiral excess in the latter compound is truly extraterrestrial in origin. The isotopic compositions of compounds reported here did not reveal definitive links between the different compound classes such as common synthetic precursors, but will provide a framework for further future in-depth analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- José C. Aponte
- Department of ChemistryCatholic University of AmericaWashingtonDistrict of Columbia20064USA
- Solar System Exploration DivisionNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbeltMaryland20771USA
| | - Jamie E. Elsila
- Solar System Exploration DivisionNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbeltMaryland20771USA
| | - Jason E. Hein
- University of British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaV6T 1Z2Canada
| | - Jason P. Dworkin
- Solar System Exploration DivisionNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbeltMaryland20771USA
| | - Daniel P. Glavin
- Solar System Exploration DivisionNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbeltMaryland20771USA
| | - Hannah L. McLain
- Department of ChemistryCatholic University of AmericaWashingtonDistrict of Columbia20064USA
- Solar System Exploration DivisionNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbeltMaryland20771USA
| | - Eric T. Parker
- Solar System Exploration DivisionNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbeltMaryland20771USA
| | - Timothy Cao
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of CaliforniaMercedCalifornia95343USA
| | - Eve L. Berger
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science DivisionTexas State University / Jacobs JETS ContractNASA Johnson Space CenterHoustonTexas77058USA
| | - Aaron S. Burton
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science DivisionNASA Johnson Space CenterHoustonTexas77058USA
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Furusho A, Akita T, Mita M, Naraoka H, Hamase K. Three-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of chiral amino acids in carbonaceous chondrites. J Chromatogr A 2020; 1625:461255. [PMID: 32709316 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2020.461255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
A three-dimensional (3D) HPLC system in combination with fluorescence derivatization has been developed for the highly sensitive and selective analysis of chiral amino acids in extraterrestrial samples. As the targets, alanine (Ala), 2-aminobutyric acid (2AB), valine (Val), norvaline (nVal) and isovaline (iVal), frequently found chiral amino acids in the carbonaceous chondrites, were selected. These amino acids were pre-column derivatized with 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-F), and the target analytes were separated from other amino acids and organic compounds by a reversed-phase column in the first dimension. The targets were further separated from interferences by an anion-exchange column in the second dimension, and their enantiomers were separated and determined in the third dimension by a Pirkle-type enantioselective column. The present 3D-HPLC system was validated and applied to the Murchison meteorite and the Antarctic meteorites, and all of the target amino acid enantiomers were clearly observed (0.78-22.33 nmol/g in the Murchison meteorite and 1.79-78.84 nmol/g in the Antarctic meteorites) without severe interferences. The %L values of the non-proteinogenic amino acids were almost 50% in both meteorites, and even the proteinogenic amino acids were almost racemic in the Antarctic meteorites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aogu Furusho
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higasi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Takeyuki Akita
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higasi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Masashi Mita
- KAGAMI Inc., 7-7-15 Saito-asagi, Ibaraki 567-0085, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Naraoka
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Kenji Hamase
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higasi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.
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Famiano MA, Boyd RN, Kajino T, Chiba S, Mo Y, Onaka T, Suzuki T. Explaining the Variations in Isotopic Ratios in Meteoritic Amino Acids. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:964-976. [PMID: 32783564 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Measurements of the isotopic abundances in meteoritic amino acids have found enhancements of 2H/H, 15N/14N, and 13C/12C in the amino acids in the meteorites studied. We show that they are consistent with the processing of the constituents of the meteorites by electron antineutrinos that would be expected from a core-collapse supernova or neutron-star merger. Using theoretical electron antineutrino cross-sections, we are able to predict these isotopic ratio variations depending on the time-integrated antineutrino flux at the site where the amino acids were processed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Famiano
- Department of Physics and Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Tokyo, Japan
- School of Physics, Beihang University (Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics), Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Richard N Boyd
- Department of Physics, Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Toshitaka Kajino
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Tokyo, Japan
- School of Physics, Beihang University (Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics), Beijing, P.R. China
- Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoshi Chiba
- School of Physics, Beihang University (Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics), Beijing, P.R. China
- Laboratory for Advanced Nuclear Energy, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yirong Mo
- Department of Chemistry, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
| | - Takashi Onaka
- Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Physics, Meisei University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshio Suzuki
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Physics, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan
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31
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Santos ACL, Muniz CR, Oliveira LT, Souza JT. Contributions of a modified electrodynamics to the molecular biochirality. Chirality 2020; 32:1186-1190. [PMID: 32627234 DOI: 10.1002/chir.23266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In this paper, we investigate the physical basis behind the molecular biochirality from the computation of a parity violation energy difference (PVED) in enantiomers of organic molecules (e.g., amino acids, which occur as levogyrous-type in nature), by considering the influence of fundamental interactions beyond the standard model of elementary particles and interactions. Particularly, we study the role of a 4-D Chern-Simons theory at the origin of this PVED, the Carroll-Field-Jackiw electrodynamics, which violates both Lorentz and parity symmetries. Then, we consider terrestrial and Jovian scenarios where the influence of a modified (effective) magnetic field generated by the planets on the molecules is taken into account in the calculation of PVED. Besides this quantity, we also calculate the relative quantity excess of an enantiomer over the other in a thermal bath. Finally, we compare the obtained results with those ones from other models based on fundamental interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alana C L Santos
- Faculdade de Educação, Ciências e Letras de Iguatu, Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Iguatu, Brazil
| | - Celio R Muniz
- Faculdade de Educação, Ciências e Letras de Iguatu, Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Iguatu, Brazil
| | - Leonardo T Oliveira
- Faculdade de Educação, Ciências e Letras de Iguatu, Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Iguatu, Brazil
| | - Jefferson T Souza
- Faculdade de Educação, Ciências e Letras de Iguatu, Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Iguatu, Brazil
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32
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Chan QHS, Stroud R, Martins Z, Yabuta H. Concerns of Organic Contamination for Sample Return Space Missions. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS 2020; 216:56. [PMID: 32624626 PMCID: PMC7319412 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-020-00678-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Analysis of organic matter has been one of the major motivations behind solar system exploration missions. It addresses questions related to the organic inventory of our solar system and its implication for the origin of life on Earth. Sample return missions aim at returning scientifically valuable samples from target celestial bodies to Earth. By analysing the samples with the use of state-of-the-art analytical techniques in laboratories here on Earth, researchers can address extremely complicated aspects of extra-terrestrial organic matter. This level of detailed sample characterisation provides the range and depth in organic analysis that are restricted in spacecraft-based exploration missions, due to the limitations of the on-board in-situ instrumentation capabilities. So far, there are four completed and in-process sample return missions with an explicit mandate to collect organic matter: Stardust and OSIRIS-REx missions of NASA, and Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 missions of JAXA. Regardless of the target body, all sample return missions dedicate to minimise terrestrial organic contamination of the returned samples, by applying various degrees or strategies of organic contamination mitigation methods. Despite the dedicated efforts in the design and execution of contamination control, it is impossible to completely eliminate sources of organic contamination. This paper aims at providing an overview of the successes and lessons learned with regards to the identification of indigenous organic matter of the returned samples vs terrestrial contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Queenie Hoi Shan Chan
- Planetary and Space Sciences, School of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA UK
- Present Address: Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham Surrey, TW20 0EX UK
| | - Rhonda Stroud
- Code 6360, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 USA
| | - Zita Martins
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Departamento de Engenharia Química, Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Hikaru Yabuta
- Department of Earth and Planetary Systems Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Hiroshima, 739-8526 Japan
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Sandford SA, Nuevo M, Bera PP, Lee TJ. Prebiotic Astrochemistry and the Formation of Molecules of Astrobiological Interest in Interstellar Clouds and Protostellar Disks. Chem Rev 2020; 120:4616-4659. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Scott A. Sandford
- NASA Ames Research Center, MS 245-6, Moffett Field, California 94035, United States
| | - Michel Nuevo
- NASA Ames Research Center, MS 245-6, Moffett Field, California 94035, United States
- BAER Institute, NASA Research Park, MS 18-4, Moffett Field, California 94035, United States
| | - Partha P. Bera
- NASA Ames Research Center, MS 245-6, Moffett Field, California 94035, United States
- BAER Institute, NASA Research Park, MS 18-4, Moffett Field, California 94035, United States
| | - Timothy J. Lee
- NASA Ames Research Center, MS 245-3, Moffett Field, California 94035, United States
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Neeman EM, León I, Alonso ER, Mata S, Alonso JL. Gas-Phase Conformational Map of the Amino Acid Isovaline. Chemphyschem 2020; 21:525-530. [PMID: 32012435 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201901201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Four conformers of the non-proteinogenic α-amino acid isovaline, vaporized by laser ablation, are characterized by Fourier-transform microwave techniques in a supersonic expansion. The comparison between the experimental rotational and 14 N nuclear quadrupole coupling constants and the ab initio calculated ones provides conclusive evidence for the identification of the conformers. The most stable species is stabilized by an N-H⋅⋅⋅O =C intramolecular hydrogen bond and a cis-COOH interaction, whereas the higher-energy conformers exhibit an N⋅⋅⋅H-O intramolecular hydrogen bond and trans-COOH, as in other aliphatic amino acids. The spectroscopic data herein reported can be used for the astrophysical purpose in a possible detection of isovaline in space.
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Affiliation(s)
- E M Neeman
- Grupo de Espectroscopia Molecular (GEM), Edificio Quifima Laboratorios de Espectroscopia y Bioespectroscopia, Parque Científico Universidad de Valladolid, 47011, Valladolid, Spain
| | - I León
- Grupo de Espectroscopia Molecular (GEM), Edificio Quifima Laboratorios de Espectroscopia y Bioespectroscopia, Parque Científico Universidad de Valladolid, 47011, Valladolid, Spain
| | - E R Alonso
- Grupo de Espectroscopia Molecular (GEM), Edificio Quifima Laboratorios de Espectroscopia y Bioespectroscopia, Parque Científico Universidad de Valladolid, 47011, Valladolid, Spain
| | - S Mata
- Grupo de Espectroscopia Molecular (GEM), Edificio Quifima Laboratorios de Espectroscopia y Bioespectroscopia, Parque Científico Universidad de Valladolid, 47011, Valladolid, Spain
| | - J L Alonso
- Grupo de Espectroscopia Molecular (GEM), Edificio Quifima Laboratorios de Espectroscopia y Bioespectroscopia, Parque Científico Universidad de Valladolid, 47011, Valladolid, Spain
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35
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Famiano M, Boyd R, Kajino T, Chiba S, Mo Y, Onaka T, Suzuki T. Connections Between Nuclear Physics and the Origin of Life - Examining the Origin of Biomolecular Chirality. EPJ WEB OF CONFERENCES 2020. [DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/202022701006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery of bio-molecules in meteorites with an excess of one chiral state has created one of the biggest questions in astrobiology today. That is, what is the origin of bio-molecular homochirality? Studies of this question are highly interdisciplinary, and while several phenomenological models exist, we examine the relationship between fundamental symmetries at the particle level and the macroscopic formation of bio-molecules. A model has been developed which couples fundamental interactions with the formation of molecular chirality. In this magneto-chiral model atomic nuclei bound in amino acids interact via the weak interaction in stellar environments. Nuclei are coupled to the molecular geometry (chirality) via the shielding tensor, the same interaction responsible for NMR identification. Associated with this is the fact that isotopic abundances vary from solar system values. Interactions with leptons can selectively destroy one chiral state over the other while changing isotopic values. Possible sites are proposed in which this model may exist.
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Glavin DP, Burton AS, Elsila JE, Aponte JC, Dworkin JP. The Search for Chiral Asymmetry as a Potential Biosignature in our Solar System. Chem Rev 2019; 120:4660-4689. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P. Glavin
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - Aaron S. Burton
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 77058, United States
| | - Jamie E. Elsila
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - José C. Aponte
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
- Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. 20064, United States
| | - Jason P. Dworkin
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
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37
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Stovbun SV, Zanin AM, Shashkov MV, Skoblin AA, Zlenko DV, Tverdislov VA, Mikhaleva MG, Taran OP, Parmon VN. Spontaneous Resolution and Super-coiling in Xerogels of the Products of Photo-Induced Formose Reaction. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2019; 49:187-196. [PMID: 31642022 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-019-09583-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
This work addresses the supramolecular self-organization in the xerogels of formose reaction products. The UV-induced formose reaction was held in over-saturated formaldehyde solutions at 70∘C without a catalyst. The solutions of the obtained carbohydrates were dried on a glass slide, and the obtained xerogels demonstrated a prominent optical activity, while the initial solutions were optically inactive. The xerogels contained highly elongated crystalline elements of a helical structure as well as the isometric ones. Thus xerogel formation was accompanied by a spontaneous resolution of enantiomers and separation of different-shaped supramolecular structures. The thick helices were twisted of thinner ones, while the latter were twisted of elementary structures having a diameter much smaller than 400 nm. Similar structural hierarchy is typical of biological macromolecules (DNA, proteins, and cellulose). Summarizing the obtained results, we proposed a hypothetical mechanism explaining the amplification of the initial enantiomeric excess, as well as chiral and chemical purification of the substances which were essential for the evolution of Life to start.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey V Stovbun
- N.N. Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, RAS, 119991, Kosygina 4, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anatoly M Zanin
- N.N. Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, RAS, 119991, Kosygina 4, Moscow, Russia
| | - Mikhail V Shashkov
- G.K. Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, 630090, Lavrentiev Avenue 5, Novosibirsk, Russia
- Novosibirsk State University, 630090, Pirogova 1, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Aleksey A Skoblin
- N.N. Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, RAS, 119991, Kosygina 4, Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitry V Zlenko
- N.N. Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, RAS, 119991, Kosygina 4, Moscow, Russia.
- Faculty of Biology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119192, Lenin Hills 1/12, Moscow, Russia.
| | - Vsevolod A Tverdislov
- Faculty of Physics, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234, Lenin Hills 1/2, Moscow, Russia
| | - Marya G Mikhaleva
- N.N. Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, RAS, 119991, Kosygina 4, Moscow, Russia
| | - Oxana P Taran
- G.K. Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, 630090, Lavrentiev Avenue 5, Novosibirsk, Russia
- Novosibirsk State University, 630090, Pirogova 1, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Valentin N Parmon
- G.K. Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, 630090, Lavrentiev Avenue 5, Novosibirsk, Russia
- Novosibirsk State University, 630090, Pirogova 1, Novosibirsk, Russia
- Tomsk State University, 634050, Lenin Avenue 36, Tomsk, Russia
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Simkus DN, Aponte JC, Elsila JE, Parker ET, Glavin DP, Dworkin JP. Methodologies for Analyzing Soluble Organic Compounds in Extraterrestrial Samples: Amino Acids, Amines, Monocarboxylic Acids, Aldehydes, and Ketones. Life (Basel) 2019; 9:E47. [PMID: 31174308 PMCID: PMC6617175 DOI: 10.3390/life9020047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 05/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Soluble organic compositions of extraterrestrial samples offer valuable insights into the prebiotic organic chemistry of the solar system. This review provides a summary of the techniques commonly used for analyzing amino acids, amines, monocarboxylic acids, aldehydes, and ketones in extraterrestrial samples. Here, we discuss possible effects of various experimental factors (e.g., extraction protocols, derivatization methods, and chromatographic techniques) in order to highlight potential influences on the results obtained from different methodologies. This detailed summary and assessment of current techniques is intended to serve as a basic guide for selecting methodologies for soluble organic analyses and to emphasize some key considerations for future method development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle N Simkus
- NASA Postdoctoral Program at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
| | - José C Aponte
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. 20064, USA.
| | - Jamie E Elsila
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
| | - Eric T Parker
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
| | - 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.
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Noun M, Baklouti D, Brunetto R, Borondics F, Calligaro T, Dionnet Z, Le Sergeant d'Hendecourt L, Nsouli B, Ribaud I, Roumie M, Della-Negra S. A Mineralogical Context for the Organic Matter in the Paris Meteorite Determined by A Multi-Technique Analysis. Life (Basel) 2019; 9:E44. [PMID: 31151218 PMCID: PMC6617381 DOI: 10.3390/life9020044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Revised: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
This study is a multi-technique investigation of the Paris carbonaceous chondrite directly applied on two selected 500 × 500 µm² areas of a millimetric fragment, without any chemical extraction. By mapping the partial hydration of the amorphous silicate phase dominating the meteorite sample matrix, infrared spectroscopy gave an interesting glimpse into the way the fluid may have circulated into the sample and partially altered it. The TOF-SIMS in-situ analysis allowed the studying and mapping of the wide diversity of chemical moieties composing the meteorite organic content. The results of the combined techniques show that at the micron scale, the organic matter was always spatially associated with the fine-grained and partially-hydrated amorphous silicates and to the presence of iron in different chemical states. These systematic associations, illustrated in previous studies of other carbonaceous chondrites, were further supported by the identification by TOF-SIMS of cyanide and/or cyanate salts that could be direct remnants of precursor ices that accreted with dust during the parent body formation, and by the detection of different metal-containing large organic ions. Finally, the results obtained emphasized the importance of studying the specific interactions taking place between organic and mineral phases in the chondrite matrix, in order to investigate their role in the evolution story of primitive organic matter in meteorite parent bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manale Noun
- Institut de Physique Nucléaire d'Orsay, UMR 8608, CNRS/IN2P3, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91406 Orsay, France.
- Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission, NCSR, Beirut 11-8281, Lebanon.
| | - Donia Baklouti
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, UMR 8617, CNRS/Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, bâtiment 121, Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay CEDEX, France.
| | - Rosario Brunetto
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, UMR 8617, CNRS/Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, bâtiment 121, Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay CEDEX, France.
| | - Ferenc Borondics
- Synchrotron Soleil, L'Orme des Merisiers, BP48, Saint Aubin, 91192 Gif sur Yvette CEDEX, France.
| | - Thomas Calligaro
- Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des musées de France, UMR 171, Palais du Louvre, 75001 Paris, France.
- PSL Research University, Institut de Recherche Chimie Paris, Chimie ParisTech, CNRS UMR 8247, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Zélia Dionnet
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, UMR 8617, CNRS/Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, bâtiment 121, Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay CEDEX, France.
- Università degli Studi di Napoli Parthenope, Dip. di Scienze e Tecnologie, CDN IC4, I-80143 Naples, Italy.
| | - Louis Le Sergeant d'Hendecourt
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, UMR 8617, CNRS/Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, bâtiment 121, Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay CEDEX, France.
- Université Aix-Marseille, Laboratoire de Physique des Interactions Ioniques et Moléculaires (PIIM), UMR CNRS 7345, F-13397 Marseille, France.
| | - Bilal Nsouli
- Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission, NCSR, Beirut 11-8281, Lebanon.
| | - Isabelle Ribaud
- Institut de Physique Nucléaire d'Orsay, UMR 8608, CNRS/IN2P3, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91406 Orsay, France.
| | - Mohamad Roumie
- Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission, NCSR, Beirut 11-8281, Lebanon.
| | - Serge Della-Negra
- Institut de Physique Nucléaire d'Orsay, UMR 8608, CNRS/IN2P3, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91406 Orsay, France.
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Zlenko DV, Zanin AM, Skoblin AA, Tverdislov VA, Stovbun SV. Spontaneous resolution in racemic solutions of N-trifluoroacetylated α-aminoalcohols. J Mol Struct 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2019.01.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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41
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Electrochirogenesis: The Possible Role of Low-Energy Spin-Polarized Electrons in Creating Homochirality. Symmetry (Basel) 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/sym11040528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Electrochirogenesis deals with the induction of chirality by polarized electrons of which those with low energy (<15 eV) are seen to be the most effective. Possible sources of such electrons in the prebiotic universe are discussed and several examples where chiral induction by these electrons have been demonstrated are given. Finally, some possible scenarios where electrochirogenesis could have played a role in forming a chiral imbalance in a prebiotic setting have been speculated on and some possible future areas of research proposed.
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Aponte JC, Whitaker D, Powner MW, Elsila JE, Dworkin JP. Analyses of Aliphatic Aldehydes and Ketones in Carbonaceous Chondrites. ACS EARTH & SPACE CHEMISTRY 2019; 3:463-472. [PMID: 32617450 PMCID: PMC7330996 DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.9b00006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Aliphatic aldehydes and ketones are essential building blocks for the synthesis of more complex organic compounds. Despite their potentially key role as precursors of astrobiologically important molecules, such as amino acids and carboxylic acids, this family of compounds has scarcely been evaluated in carbonaceous chondrites. The paucity of such analyses likely derives from the low concentration of aldehydes and ketones in the meteorites and from the currently used chromatographic methodologies that have not been optimized for meteorite analysis. In this work, we report the development of a novel analytical method to quantify the molecular distribution and compound-specific isotopic analysis of 29 aliphatic aldehydes and ketones. Using this method, we have investigated the molecular distribution and 13C-isotopic composition of aldehydes and ketones in 10 carbonaceous chondrites from the CI, CM, CR, and CV groups. The total concentration of carbonyl compounds ranged from 130 to 1000 nmol g-1 of meteorite with formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone being the most abundant species in all investigated samples. The 13C-isotopic values ranged from -67 to +64‰ and we did not observe clear relationships between 13C-content and molecular weight. Accurately measuring the relative abundances, determining the molecular distribution, and isotopic composition of chondritic organic compounds is central in assessing both their formation chemistry and synthetic relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- José C. Aponte
- Solar System Exploration Division, Code 691, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, United States
| | - Daniel Whitaker
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew W. Powner
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Jamie E. Elsila
- Solar System Exploration Division, Code 691, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - Jason P. Dworkin
- Solar System Exploration Division, Code 691, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
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Garcia AD, Meinert C, Sugahara H, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Meierhenrich UJ. The Astrophysical Formation of Asymmetric Molecules and the Emergence of a Chiral Bias. Life (Basel) 2019; 9:E29. [PMID: 30884807 PMCID: PMC6463258 DOI: 10.3390/life9010029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The biomolecular homochirality in living organisms has been investigated for decades, but its origin remains poorly understood. It has been shown that circular polarized light (CPL) and other energy sources are capable of inducing small enantiomeric excesses (ees) in some primary biomolecules, such as amino acids or sugars. Since the first findings of amino acids in carbonaceous meteorites, a scenario in which essential chiral biomolecules originate in space and are delivered by celestial bodies has arisen. Numerous studies have thus focused on their detection, identification, and enantiomeric excess calculations in extraterrestrial matrices. In this review we summarize the discoveries in amino acids, sugars, and organophosphorus compounds in meteorites, comets, and laboratory-simulated interstellar ices. Based on available analytical data, we also discuss their interactions with CPL in the ultraviolet (UV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) regions, their abiotic chiral or achiral synthesis, and their enantiomeric distribution. Without doubt, further laboratory investigations and upcoming space missions are required to shed more light on our potential extraterrestrial molecular origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien D Garcia
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
| | - Haruna Sugahara
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency⁻Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuo Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan.
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Uwe J Meierhenrich
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
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Aponte JC, Woodward HK, Abreu NM, Elsila JE, Dworkin JP. Molecular Distribution, 13C-Isotope, and Enantiomeric Compositions of Carbonaceous Chondrite Monocarboxylic Acids. METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE 2019; 54:415-430. [PMID: 32499671 PMCID: PMC7271972 DOI: 10.1111/maps.13216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The water-soluble organic compounds in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites constitute a record of the synthetic reactions occurring at the birth of the solar system and those taking place during parent body alteration and may have been important for the later origins and development of life on Earth. In this present work, we have developed a novel methodology for the simultaneous analysis of the molecular distribution, compound-specific δ13C and enantiomeric compositions of aliphatic monocarboxylic acids (MCA) extracted from the hot-water extracts of sixteen carbonaceous chondrites from CM, CR, CO, CV and CK groups. We observed high concentrations of meteoritic MCAs, with total carbon weight percentages which in some cases approached those of carbonates and insoluble organic matter. Moreover, we found that the concentration of MCAs in CR chondrites is higher than in the other meteorite groups, with acetic acid exhibiting the highest concentration in all samples. The abundance of MCAs decreased with increasing molecular weight and with increasing aqueous and/or thermal alteration experienced by the meteorite sample. The δ13C isotopic values of MCAs ranged from -52 to +27‰, and aside from an inverse relationship between δ13C value and carbon straight-chain length for C3-C6 MCAs in Murchison, the 13C-isotopic values did not correlate with the number of carbon atoms per molecule. We also observed racemic compositions of 2-methylbutanoic acid in CM and CR chondrites. We used this novel analytical protocol and collective data to shed new light on the prebiotic origins of chondritic MCAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- José C. Aponte
- Solar System Exploration Division, Code 691, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USA
| | - Hannah K. Woodward
- Department of Chemistry, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6UA, UK
| | - Neyda M. Abreu
- Earth Science Program, Pennsylvania State University – Du Bois Campus, Du Bois, Pennsylvania 15801, USA
| | - Jamie E. Elsila
- Solar System Exploration Division, Code 691, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - Jason P. Dworkin
- Solar System Exploration Division, Code 691, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
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45
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Abstract
Recent work has produced theoretical evidence for two sites, colliding neutron stars and neutron-star–Wolf–Rayet binary systems, which might produce amino acids with the left-handed chirality preference found in meteorites. The Supernova Neutrino Amino Acid Processing (SNAAP) model uses electron antineutrinos and the magnetic field from source objects such as neutron stars to preferentially destroy one enantiomer over another. Large enantiomeric excesses are predicted for isovaline and alanine; although based on an earlier study, similar results are expected for the others. Isotopic abundances of 13 C and 15 O in meteorites provide a new test of the SNAAP model. This presents implications for the origins of life.
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46
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Abstract
The discovery of meteoritic alpha-amino acids with significant enantiomeric excesses of the L-form has suggested that some cosmic factors could serve as the initial source for chiral imbalance of organic compounds delivered to the early Earth. The paper reviews major hypothesis considering the influence of chiral irradiation and chiral combinations of physical fields on the possible ways asymmetric synthesis and transformations of organics could take place within the solar system. They could result in a small enantiomeric imbalance of some groups of compounds. More attention is paid to the hypothesis on parity violation of weak interaction that was supposed to cause homochirality of all primary particles and a more significant homochirality of compounds directly synthesized from the latter in a plasma reactor. The first experiment with material synthesized in a plasma torch resulting from a super-high-velocity impact showed formation of alanine with the excess of L-form between 7 and 25%. The supposed conclusion is that L-amino acids could serve as a starting homochiral biomolecular pool for life to emerge all over the Universe.
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47
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Neveu M, Hays LE, Voytek MA, New MH, Schulte MD. The Ladder of Life Detection. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:1375-1402. [PMID: 29862836 PMCID: PMC6211372 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
We describe the history and features of the Ladder of Life Detection, a tool intended to guide the design of investigations to detect microbial life within the practical constraints of robotic space missions. To build the Ladder, we have drawn from lessons learned from previous attempts at detecting life and derived criteria for a measurement (or suite of measurements) to constitute convincing evidence for indigenous life. We summarize features of life as we know it, how specific they are to life, and how they can be measured, and sort these features in a general sense based on their likelihood of indicating life. Because indigenous life is the hypothesis of last resort in interpreting life-detection measurements, we propose a small but expandable set of decision rules determining whether the abiotic hypothesis is disproved. In light of these rules, we evaluate past and upcoming attempts at life detection. The Ladder of Life Detection is not intended to endorse specific biosignatures or instruments for life-detection measurements, and is by no means a definitive, final product. It is intended as a starting point to stimulate discussion, debate, and further research on the characteristics of life, what constitutes a biosignature, and the means to measure them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Neveu
- NASA Postdoctoral Management Program Fellow, Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, Maryland
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC
| | - Lindsay E. Hays
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
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48
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Georgiou CD. Functional Properties of Amino Acid Side Chains as Biomarkers of Extraterrestrial Life. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:1479-1496. [PMID: 30129781 PMCID: PMC6211371 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The present study proposes to search our solar system (Mars, Enceladus, Europa) for patterns of organic molecules that are universally associated with biological functions and structures. The functions are primarily catalytic because life could only have originated within volume/space-constrained compartments containing chemical reactions catalyzed by certain polymers. The proposed molecular structures are specific groups in the side chains of amino acids with the highest catalytic propensities related to life on Earth, that is, those that most frequently participate as key catalytic groups in the active sites of enzymes such as imidazole, thiol, guanidinium, amide, and carboxyl. Alternatively, these or other catalytic groups can be searched for on non-amino-acid organic molecules, which can be tested for certain hydrolytic catalytic activities. The first scenario assumes that life may have originated in a similar manner as the terrestrial set of α-amino acids, while the second scenario does not set such a requirement. From the catalytic propensity perspective proposed in the first scenario, life must have invented amino acids with high catalytic propensity (His, Cys, Arg) in order to overcome, and be complemented by, the low catalytic propensity of the initially available abiogenic amino acids. The abiogenic and the metabolically invented amino acids with the lowest catalytic propensity can also serve as markers of extraterrestrial life when searching for patterns on the basis of the following functional propensities related to protein secondary/quaternary structure: (1) amino acids that are able to form α-helical intramembrane peptide domains, which can serve as primitive transporters in protocell membrane bilayers and catalysts of simple biochemical reactions; (2) amino acids that tend to accumulate in extremophile proteins of Earth and possibly extraterrestrial life. The catalytic/structural functional propensity approach offers a new perspective in the search for extraterrestrial life and could help unify previous amino acid-based approaches.
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Abstract
The general notion of an "RNA world" is that, in the early development of life on the Earth, genetic continuity was assured by the replication of RNA, and RNA molecules were the chief agents of catalytic function. Assuming that all of the components of RNA were available in some prebiotic locale, these components could have assembled into activated nucleotides that condensed to form RNA polymers, setting the stage for the chemical replication of polynucleotides through RNA-templated RNA polymerization. If a sufficient diversity of RNAs could be copied with reasonable rate and fidelity, then Darwinian evolution would begin with RNAs that facilitated their own reproduction enjoying a selective advantage. The concept of a "protocell" refers to a compartment where replication of the primitive genetic material took place and where primitive catalysts gave rise to products that accumulated locally for the benefit of the replicating cellular entity. Replication of both the protocell and its encapsulated genetic material would have enabled natural selection to operate based on the differential fitness of competing cellular entities, ultimately giving rise to modern cellular life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald F Joyce
- The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Jack W Szostak
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114
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50
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Bassez MP. Water near its Supercritical Point and at Alkaline pH for the Production of Ferric Oxides and Silicates in Anoxic Conditions. A New Hypothesis for the Synthesis of Minerals Observed in Banded Iron Formations and for the Related Geobiotropic Chemistry inside Fluid Inclusions. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2018; 48:289-320. [PMID: 30091010 PMCID: PMC6244801 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-018-9560-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 06/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
An alternative hypothesis for the origin of the banded iron formations and the synthesis of prebiotic molecules is presented here. I show the importance of considering water near its supercritical point and at alkaline pH. It is based on the chemical equation for the anoxic oxidation of ferrous iron into ferric iron at high-subcritical conditions of water and high pH, that I extract from E-pH diagrams drawn for corrosion purposes (Geophysical Research Abstracts Vol 15, EGU2013-22 Bassez 2013, Orig Life Evol Biosph 45(1):5-13, Bassez 2015, Procedia Earth Planet Sci 17, 492-495, Bassez 2017a, Orig Life Evol Biosph 47:453-480, Bassez 2017b). The sudden change in solubility of silica, SiO2, at the critical point of water is also considered. It is shown that under these temperatures and pressures, ferric oxides and ferric silicates can form in anoxic terrains. No FeII oxidation by UV light, neither by oxygen is needed to explain the minerals of the Banded Iron Formations. The intervention of any kind of microorganisms, either sulfate-reducing, or FeII-oxidizing or O2-producing, is not required. The chemical equation for the anoxic oxidation of ferrous iron is applied to the hydrolyses of fayalite, Fe2SiO4 and ferrosilite, FeSiO3. It is shown that the BIF minerals of the Hamersley Group, Western Australia, and the Transvaal Supergroup, South Africa, are those of fayalite and ferrosilite hydrolyses and carbonations. The dissolution of crustal fayalite and ferrosilite during water-rock interaction needs to occur at T&P just below the critical point of water and in a rising water which is undersaturated in SiO2. Minerals of BIFs which can then be ejected at the surface from venting arcs are ferric oxide hydroxides, hematite, FeIII-greenalite, siderite. The greenalite dehydrated product minnesotaite forms when rising water becomes supersaturated in SiO2, as also riebeckite and stilpnomelane. Long lengths of siderite without ferric oxides neither ferric silicates can occur since the exothermic siderite formation is not so much dependent in T&P. It is also shown that the H2 which is released during hydrolysis/oxidation of fayalite/ferrosilite can lead to components of life, such as macromolecules of amino acids which are synthesized from mixtures of (CO, N2, H2O) in Sabatier-Senderens/Fischer-Tropsch & Haber-Bosch reactions or microwave or gamma-ray excitation reactions. I propose that such geobiotropic synthesis may occur inside fluid inclusions of BIFs, in the silica chert, hematite, FeIII-greenalite or siderite. Therefore, the combination of high-subcritical conditions of water, high solubility of SiO2 at these T&P values, formation of CO also at these T&P, high pH and anoxic water, leads to the formation of ferric minerals and prebiotic molecules in the process of geobiotropy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Paule Bassez
- Institut de Technologie, Université de Strasbourg, 67400 Illkirch-Graffenstaden, Strasbourg, France.
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