1
|
Michaelian K. The Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics of Natural Selection: From Molecules to the Biosphere. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 25:1059. [PMID: 37510006 PMCID: PMC10378079 DOI: 10.3390/e25071059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Evolutionary theory suggests that the origin, persistence, and evolution of biology is driven by the "natural selection" of characteristics improving the differential reproductive success of the organism in the given environment. The theory, however, lacks physical foundation, and, therefore, at best, can only be considered a heuristic narrative, of some utility for assimilating the biological and paleontological data at the level of the organism. On deeper analysis, it becomes apparent that this narrative is plagued with problems and paradoxes. Alternatively, non-equilibrium thermodynamic theory, derived from physical law, provides a physical foundation for describing material interaction with its environment at all scales. Here we describe a "natural thermodynamic selection" of characteristics of structures (or processes), based stochastically on increases in the global rate of dissipation of the prevailing solar spectrum. Different mechanisms of thermodynamic selection are delineated for the different biotic-abiotic levels, from the molecular level at the origin of life, up to the level of the present biosphere with non-linear coupling of biotic and abiotic processes. At the levels of the organism and the biosphere, the non-equilibrium thermodynamic description of evolution resembles, respectively, the Darwinian and Gaia descriptions, although the underlying mechanisms and the objective function of selection are fundamentally very different.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karo Michaelian
- Department of Nuclear Physics and Application of Radiation, Instituto de Física, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Interior de la Investigación Científica, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City C.P. 04510, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Pastorek A, Clark VHJ, Yurchenko SN, Ferus M, Civiš S. New physical insights: Formamide discharge decomposition and the role of fragments in the formation of large biomolecules. SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA. PART A, MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 2022; 278:121322. [PMID: 35537261 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2022.121322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In this work we present a time-resolved FTIR spectroscopic study on kinetics of atomic and molecular species, specifically CO, CN radical, N2, HCN and CO2 generated in a glow discharge of formamide-nitrogen-water mixture in a helium buffer gas. Radicals such as NH, CH and OH have been proven to be fundamental stones of subsequent chemical reactions having a crucial role in a prebiotic synthesis of large organic molecules. This work contains three main goals. Firstly, we present our time-resolved spectra of formamide decomposition products and discuss the mechanism of collisional excitations between specific species. Secondly, according to our time resolution, we demonstrate and explain the band shape of CO's first overtone and the energy transfer between excited nitrogen and CO, present in our spectra. Lastly, we present theoretical results for the non-LTE modelling of the spectra using bi-temperature approach and a 1D harmonic Franck-Condon approach for the multi-molecule spectra of the formamide decomposition process in the 1800-5600 cm-1 spectral range.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adam Pastorek
- J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 2155/3, 18200 Prague 8, Czech Republic; Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Břehová 78/7, 11519 Prague 1, Czech Republic
| | - Victoria H J Clark
- Faculty of Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Sergei N Yurchenko
- Faculty of Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Ferus
- J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 2155/3, 18200 Prague 8, Czech Republic
| | - Svatopluk Civiš
- J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 2155/3, 18200 Prague 8, Czech Republic.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Gan D, Ying J, Zhao Y. Prebiotic Chemistry: The Role of Trimetaphosphate in Prebiotic Chemical Evolution. Front Chem 2022; 10:941228. [PMID: 35910738 PMCID: PMC9326000 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.941228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Life’s origins have always been a scientific puzzle. Understanding the production of biomolecules is crucial for understanding the evolution of life on Earth. Numerous studies on trimetaphosphate have been conducted in the field of prebiotic chemistry. However, its role in prebiotic chemistry has been documented infrequently in the review literature. The goal of this thesis is to review the role of trimetaphosphate in the early Earth’s biomolecule synthesis and phosphorylation. Additionally, various trimetaphosphate-mediated reaction pathways are discussed, as well as the role of trimetaphosphate in prebiotic chemistry. Finally, in our opinion, interactions between biomolecules should be considered in prebiotic synthesis scenarios since this may result in some advances in subsequent research on this subject. The research establishes an essential and opportune foundation for an in-depth examination of the “mystery of life".
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dingwei Gan
- Institute of Drug Discovery Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Qian Xuesen Collaborative Research Center of Astrochemistry and Space Life Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Jianxi Ying
- Institute of Drug Discovery Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Qian Xuesen Collaborative Research Center of Astrochemistry and Space Life Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- *Correspondence: Jianxi Ying,
| | - Yufen Zhao
- Institute of Drug Discovery Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Qian Xuesen Collaborative Research Center of Astrochemistry and Space Life Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bizzarri BM, Saladino R, Delfino I, García-Ruiz JM, Di Mauro E. Prebiotic Organic Chemistry of Formamide and the Origin of Life in Planetary Conditions: What We Know and What Is the Future. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22020917. [PMID: 33477625 PMCID: PMC7831497 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The goal of prebiotic chemistry is the depiction of molecular evolution events preceding the emergence of life on Earth or elsewhere in the cosmos. Plausible experimental models require geochemical scenarios and robust chemistry. Today we know that the chemical and physical conditions for life to flourish on Earth were at work much earlier than thought, i.e., earlier than 4.4 billion years ago. In recent years, a geochemical model for the first five hundred million years of the history of our planet has been devised that would work as a cradle for life. Serpentinization processes in the Hadean eon affording self-assembled structures and vesicles provides the link between the catalytic properties of the inorganic environment and the impressive chemical potential of formamide to produce complete panels of organic molecules relevant in pre-genetic and pre-metabolic processes. Based on an interdisciplinary approach, we propose basic transformations connecting geochemistry to the chemistry of formamide, and we hint at the possible extension of this perspective to other worlds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Mattia Bizzarri
- Ecological and Biological Sciences Department (DEB), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (B.M.B.); (I.D.); (E.D.M.)
| | - Raffaele Saladino
- Ecological and Biological Sciences Department (DEB), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (B.M.B.); (I.D.); (E.D.M.)
- Correspondence: (R.S.); (J.M.G.-R.)
| | - Ines Delfino
- Ecological and Biological Sciences Department (DEB), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (B.M.B.); (I.D.); (E.D.M.)
| | - Juan Manuel García-Ruiz
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas–Universidad de Granada, Avenida de las Palmeras 4, Armilla, 18100 Granada, Spain
- Correspondence: (R.S.); (J.M.G.-R.)
| | - Ernesto Di Mauro
- Ecological and Biological Sciences Department (DEB), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (B.M.B.); (I.D.); (E.D.M.)
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Pastorek A, Ferus M, Čuba V, Šrámek O, Ivanek O, Civiš S. Primordial Radioactivity and Prebiotic Chemical Evolution: Effect of γ Radiation on Formamide-Based Synthesis. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:8951-8959. [PMID: 32970439 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c05233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Although the effect of ionizing radiation on prebiotic chemistry is often overlooked, primordial natural radioactivity might have been an important source of energy for various chemical transformations. Estimates of the abundances of short-lived radionuclides on early Earth suggest that the primordial intensity of endogenous terrestrial radioactivity was up to 4 × 103 times higher than it is today. Therefore, we assume that chemical substances in contact with radioactive rocks should therefore undergo radiolysis. The calculations are followed by research investigating the influence of ionizing γ radiation on basic prebiotic substances, including formamide mixed with various clays, which might have played the role of a catalyst and an agent that partially blocked radiation that was potentially destructive for the products. Our explorations of this effect have shown that the irradiation of formamide-clay mixtures at doses of ∼6 kGy produces significant amounts of urea (up to the maximal concentration of approximately 250 mg L-1), which plays a role in HCN-based prebiotic chemistry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adam Pastorek
- J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 2155/3, 18200 Prague, Prague 8, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Břehová 78/7, 11519 Prague, Prague 1, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Ferus
- J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 2155/3, 18200 Prague, Prague 8, Czech Republic
| | - Václav Čuba
- Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Břehová 78/7, 11519 Prague, Prague 1, Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Šrámek
- Department of Geophysics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, V Holešovičkách 2, 18000 Prague, Prague 8, Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Ivanek
- J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 2155/3, 18200 Prague, Prague 8, Czech Republic
| | - Svatopluk Civiš
- J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 2155/3, 18200 Prague, Prague 8, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Abstract
RNA abasic sites and the mechanisms involved in their regulation are mostly unknown; in contrast, DNA abasic sites are well-studied. We found surprisingly that, in yeast and human cells, RNA abasic sites are prevalent. When a base is lost from RNA, the remaining ribose is found as a closed-ring or an open-ring sugar with a reactive C1' aldehyde group. Using primary amine-based reagents that react with the aldehyde group, we uncovered evidence for abasic sites in nascent RNA, messenger RNA, and ribosomal RNA from yeast and human cells. Mass spectroscopic analysis confirmed the presence of RNA abasic sites. The RNA abasic sites were found to be coupled to R-loops. We show that human methylpurine DNA glycosylase cleaves N-glycosidic bonds on RNA and that human apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 incises RNA abasic sites in RNA-DNA hybrids. Our results reveal that, in yeast and human cells, there are RNA abasic sites, and we identify a glycosylase that generates these sites and an AP endonuclease that processes them.
Collapse
|
7
|
Michaelian K, Padilla NS. UVC photon-induced denaturing of DNA: A possible dissipative route to Archean enzyme-less replication. Heliyon 2019; 5:e01902. [PMID: 31249892 PMCID: PMC6584779 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-equilibrium thermodynamics is a relevant framework from within which to address formidable difficulties encountered in explaining the origin of life; from molecular synthesis and complexation, enzyme-less proliferation, to evolution (including the acquisition of homochirality and information). From within this framework we have proposed that the origin of life was the origin of the dissipative structuring of organic pigments which became the fundamental molecules of life (e.g. RNA and DNA) proliferated through autocatalytic photochemical reactions under the thermodynamic imperative of dissipating the imposed UVC solar photon flux available at the Archean surface. Here we present experimental evidence demonstrating that the absorption and dissipation of UVC light by synthetic DNA of 25 base pairs (and also natural salmon sperm DNA) over a range of temperatures, including below their melting temperature, leads to denaturing. Since denaturing is a non-trivial step on route to enzyme-less replication, our data suggest the possibility of a dissipative route to DNA replication at the origin of life. Such a dissipation-replication relation provides a simple mechanism for the early accumulation of both homochirality and information. Possible mechanisms of UVC photon-induced denaturing of DNA are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karo Michaelian
- Department of Nuclear Physics and Application of Radiation, Institute of Physics, UNAM, Cto. Interior de la Investigación Científica, Ciudad Universitaria, Cuidad de México, C.P. 04510, Mexico
| | - Norberto Santillán Padilla
- Faculty of Science, UNAM, Cto. Interior de la Investigación Científica, Ciudad Universitaria, Cuidad de México, C.P. 04510, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Chemomimesis and Molecular Darwinism in Action: From Abiotic Generation of Nucleobases to Nucleosides and RNA. Life (Basel) 2018; 8:life8020024. [PMID: 29925796 PMCID: PMC6027154 DOI: 10.3390/life8020024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecular Darwinian evolution is an intrinsic property of reacting pools of molecules resulting in the adaptation of the system to changing conditions. It has no a priori aim. From the point of view of the origin of life, Darwinian selection behavior, when spontaneously emerging in the ensembles of molecules composing prebiotic pools, initiates subsequent evolution of increasingly complex and innovative chemical information. On the conservation side, it is a posteriori observed that numerous biological processes are based on prebiotically promptly made compounds, as proposed by the concept of Chemomimesis. Molecular Darwinian evolution and Chemomimesis are principles acting in balanced cooperation in the frame of Systems Chemistry. The one-pot synthesis of nucleosides in radical chemistry conditions is possibly a telling example of the operation of these principles. Other indications of similar cases of molecular evolution can be found among biogenic processes.
Collapse
|
9
|
Saladino R, Botta L, Di Mauro E. The Prevailing Catalytic Role of Meteorites in Formamide Prebiotic Processes. Life (Basel) 2018; 8:life8010006. [PMID: 29470412 PMCID: PMC5871938 DOI: 10.3390/life8010006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2017] [Revised: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Meteorites are consensually considered to be involved in the origin of life on this Planet for several functions and at different levels: (i) as providers of impact energy during their passage through the atmosphere; (ii) as agents of geodynamics, intended both as starters of the Earth’s tectonics and as activators of local hydrothermal systems upon their fall; (iii) as sources of organic materials, at varying levels of limited complexity; and (iv) as catalysts. The consensus about the relevance of these functions differs. We focus on the catalytic activities of the various types of meteorites in reactions relevant for prebiotic chemistry. Formamide was selected as the chemical precursor and various sources of energy were analyzed. The results show that all the meteorites and all the different energy sources tested actively afford complex mixtures of biologically-relevant compounds, indicating the robustness of the formamide-based prebiotic chemistry involved. Although in some cases the yields of products are quite small, the diversity of the detected compounds of biochemical significance underlines the prebiotic importance of meteorite-catalyzed condensation of formamide.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Saladino
- Biological and Ecological Department, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
| | - Lorenzo Botta
- Biological and Ecological Department, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
| | - Ernesto Di Mauro
- Biological and Ecological Department, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Non-Enzymatic Oligomerization of 3', 5' Cyclic AMP. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0165723. [PMID: 27802310 PMCID: PMC5089550 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Accepted: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies illustrate that short oligonucleotide sequences can be easily produced from nucleotide precursors in a template-free non-enzymatic way under dehydrating conditions, i.e. using essentially dry materials. Here we report that 3',5' cyclic AMP may also serve as a substrate of the reaction, which proceeds under moderate conditions yet with a lower efficiency than the previously reported oligomerization of 3',5' cyclic GMP. Optimally the oligomerization requires (i) a temperature of 80°C, (ii) a neutral to alkaline environment and (iii) a time on the order of weeks. Differences in the yield and required reaction conditions of the oligomerizations utilizing 3',5' cGMP and cAMP are discussed in terms of the crystal structures of the compounds. Polymerization of 3',5' cyclic nucleotides, whose paramount relevance in a prebiotic chemistry context has been widely accepted for decades, supports the possibility that the origin of extant genetic materials might have followed a direct uninterrupted path since its very beginning, starting from non-elaborately pre-activated monomer compounds and simple reactions.
Collapse
|
11
|
Šponer JE, Šponer J, Mauro ED. New evolutionary insights into the non-enzymatic origin of RNA oligomers. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2016; 8. [PMID: 27785893 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Revised: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
We outline novel findings on the non-enzymatic polymerization of nucleotides under plausible prebiotic conditions and on the spontaneous onset of informational complexity in the founding molecule, RNA. We argue that the unique ability of 3', 5' cyclic guanosine monophosphate to form stacked architectures and polymerize in a self-sustained manner suggests that this molecule may serve as the 'seed of life' from which all self-replicating oligonucleotides can be derived via a logically complete sequence of simple events. WIREs RNA 2017, 8:e1400. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1400 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Judit E Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ernesto Di Mauro
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ecologiche e Biologiche, Università della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Šponer JE, Šponer J, Nováková O, Brabec V, Šedo O, Zdráhal Z, Costanzo G, Pino S, Saladino R, Di Mauro E. Emergence of the First Catalytic Oligonucleotides in a Formamide-Based Origin Scenario. Chemistry 2016; 22:3572-86. [PMID: 26807661 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201503906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
50 years after the historical Miller-Urey experiment, the formamide-based scenario is perhaps the most powerful concurrent hypothesis for the origin of life on our planet besides the traditional HCN-based concept. The information accumulated during the last 15 years in this topic is astonishingly growing and nowadays the formamide-based model represents one of the most complete and coherent pathways leading from simple prebiotic precursors up to the first catalytically active RNA molecules. In this work, we overview the major events of this long pathway that have emerged from recent experimental and theoretical studies, mainly concentrating on the mechanistic, methodological, and structural aspects of this research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Judit E Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 61265, Brno, Czech Republic. .,CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Campus Bohunice, Kamenice 5, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Jiří Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 61265, Brno, Czech Republic.,CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Campus Bohunice, Kamenice 5, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Olga Nováková
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 61265, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Viktor Brabec
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 61265, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ondrej Šedo
- CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Campus Bohunice, Kamenice 5, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zbyněk Zdráhal
- CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Campus Bohunice, Kamenice 5, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Giovanna Costanzo
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari, CNR, P.le Aldo Moro, 5, Rome, 00185, Italy
| | - Samanta Pino
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin", "Sapienza" Università di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, Rome, 00185, Italy
| | - Raffaele Saladino
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ecologiche e Biologiche, Università della Tuscia, Via San Camillo De Lellis, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Ernesto Di Mauro
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin", "Sapienza" Università di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, Rome, 00185, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Pino S, Sponer JE, Costanzo G, Saladino R, Mauro ED. From formamide to RNA, the path is tenuous but continuous. Life (Basel) 2015; 5:372-84. [PMID: 25647486 PMCID: PMC4390857 DOI: 10.3390/life5010372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Revised: 01/20/2015] [Accepted: 01/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Reactions of formamide (NH2COH) in the presence of catalysts of both terrestrial and meteoritic origin yield, in plausible and variegated conditions, a large panel of precursors of (pre)genetic and (pre)metabolic interest. Formamide chemistry potentially satisfies all of the steps from the very initial precursors to RNA. Water chemistry enters the scene in RNA non-enzymatic synthesis and recombination.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samanta Pino
- Fondazione "Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci-Bolognetti" c/o Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin", "Sapienza" Università di Roma, P.le Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
| | - Judit E Sponer
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 61265 Brno, Czech Republic.
- CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Campus Bohunice, Kamenice 5, CZ-62500 Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Giovanna Costanzo
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari, CNR, P.le Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
| | - Raffaele Saladino
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ecologiche e Biologiche Università della Tuscia Via San Camillo De Lellis, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
| | - Ernesto Di Mauro
- Fondazione "Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci-Bolognetti" c/o Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin", "Sapienza" Università di Roma, P.le Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
High-energy chemistry of formamide: a unified mechanism of nucleobase formation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 112:657-62. [PMID: 25489115 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1412072111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The coincidence of the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB) period and the emergence of terrestrial life about 4 billion years ago suggest that extraterrestrial impacts could contribute to the synthesis of the building blocks of the first life-giving molecules. We simulated the high-energy synthesis of nucleobases from formamide during the impact of an extraterrestrial body. A high-power laser has been used to induce the dielectric breakdown of the plasma produced by the impact. The results demonstrate that the initial dissociation of the formamide molecule could produce a large amount of highly reactive CN and NH radicals, which could further react with formamide to produce adenine, guanine, cytosine, and uracil. Based on GC-MS, high-resolution FTIR spectroscopic results, as well as theoretical calculations, we present a comprehensive mechanistic model, which accounts for all steps taking place in the studied impact chemistry. Our findings thus demonstrate that extraterrestrial impacts, which were one order of magnitude more abundant during the LHB period than before and after, could not only destroy the existing ancient life forms, but could also contribute to the creation of biogenic molecules.
Collapse
|
15
|
Ribozyme Activity of RNA Nonenzymatically Polymerized from 3′,5′-Cyclic GMP. ENTROPY 2013. [DOI: 10.3390/e15125362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|
16
|
Cleaves HJ, Michalkova Scott A, Hill FC, Leszczynski J, Sahai N, Hazen R. Mineral-organic interfacial processes: potential roles in the origins of life. Chem Soc Rev 2012; 41:5502-25. [PMID: 22743683 DOI: 10.1039/c2cs35112a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Life is believed to have originated on Earth ∼4.4-3.5 Ga ago, via processes in which organic compounds supplied by the environment self-organized, in some geochemical environmental niches, into systems capable of replication with hereditary mutation. This process is generally supposed to have occurred in an aqueous environment and, likely, in the presence of minerals. Mineral surfaces present rich opportunities for heterogeneous catalysis and concentration which may have significantly altered and directed the process of prebiotic organic complexification leading to life. We review here general concepts in prebiotic mineral-organic interfacial processes, as well as recent advances in the study of mineral surface-organic interactions of potential relevance to understanding the origin of life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H James Cleaves
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Washington, DC 20016, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Saladino R, Botta G, Pino S, Costanzo G, Di Mauro E. Genetics first or metabolism first? The formamide clue. Chem Soc Rev 2012; 41:5526-65. [PMID: 22684046 DOI: 10.1039/c2cs35066a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Life is made of the intimate interaction of metabolism and genetics, both built around the chemistry of the most common elements of the Universe (hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon). The transmissible interaction of metabolic and genetic cycles results in the hypercycles of organization and de-organization of chemical information, of living and non-living. The origin-of-life quest has long been split into several attitudes exemplified by the aphorisms "genetics-first" or "metabolism-first". Recently, the opposition between these approaches has been solved by more unitary theoretical and experimental frames taking into account energetic, evolutionary, proto-metabolic and environmental aspects. Nevertheless, a unitary and simple chemical frame is still needed that could afford both the precursors of the synthetic pathways eventually leading to RNA and to the key components of the central metabolic cycles, possibly connected with the synthesis of fatty acids. In order to approach the problem of the origin of life it is therefore reasonable to start from the assumption that both metabolism and genetics had a common origin, shared a common chemical frame, and were embedded under physical-chemical conditions favourable for the onset of both. The singleness of such a prebiotically productive chemical process would partake of Darwinian advantages over more complex fragmentary chemical systems. The prebiotic chemistry of formamide affords in a single and simple physical-chemical frame nucleic bases, acyclonucleosides, nucleotides, biogenic carboxylic acids, sugars, amino sugars, amino acids and condensing agents. Thus, we suggest the possibility that formamide could have jointly provided the main components for the onset of both (pre)genetic and (pre)metabolic processes. As a note of caution, we discuss the fact that these observations only indicate possible solutions at the level of organic substrates, not at the systemic chemical level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Saladino
- Dipartimento di Agrobiologia ed Agrochimica, Università della Tuscia, Via San Camillo De Lellis, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Mulkidjanian AY, Bychkov AY, Dibrova DV, Galperin MY, Koonin EV. Origin of first cells at terrestrial, anoxic geothermal fields. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:E821-30. [PMID: 22331915 PMCID: PMC3325685 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1117774109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 210] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
All cells contain much more potassium, phosphate, and transition metals than modern (or reconstructed primeval) oceans, lakes, or rivers. Cells maintain ion gradients by using sophisticated, energy-dependent membrane enzymes (membrane pumps) that are embedded in elaborate ion-tight membranes. The first cells could possess neither ion-tight membranes nor membrane pumps, so the concentrations of small inorganic molecules and ions within protocells and in their environment would equilibrate. Hence, the ion composition of modern cells might reflect the inorganic ion composition of the habitats of protocells. We attempted to reconstruct the "hatcheries" of the first cells by combining geochemical analysis with phylogenomic scrutiny of the inorganic ion requirements of universal components of modern cells. These ubiquitous, and by inference primordial, proteins and functional systems show affinity to and functional requirement for K(+), Zn(2+), Mn(2+), and phosphate. Thus, protocells must have evolved in habitats with a high K(+)/Na(+) ratio and relatively high concentrations of Zn, Mn, and phosphorous compounds. Geochemical reconstruction shows that the ionic composition conducive to the origin of cells could not have existed in marine settings but is compatible with emissions of vapor-dominated zones of inland geothermal systems. Under the anoxic, CO(2)-dominated primordial atmosphere, the chemistry of basins at geothermal fields would resemble the internal milieu of modern cells. The precellular stages of evolution might have transpired in shallow ponds of condensed and cooled geothermal vapor that were lined with porous silicate minerals mixed with metal sulfides and enriched in K(+), Zn(2+), and phosphorous compounds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Armen Y. Mulkidjanian
- School of Physics, University of Osnabrück, D-49069 Osnabrück, Germany
- A. N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology and Schools of
| | | | - Daria V. Dibrova
- School of Physics, University of Osnabrück, D-49069 Osnabrück, Germany
- Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Moscow State University, Moscow 119992, Russia; and
| | - Michael Y. Galperin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894
| | - Eugene V. Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Costanzo G, Saladino R, Botta G, Giorgi A, Scipioni A, Pino S, Di Mauro E. Generation of RNA molecules by a base-catalysed click-like reaction. Chembiochem 2012; 13:999-1008. [PMID: 22474011 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201200068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The problem of the abiotic origin of RNA from prebiotically plausible compounds remains unsolved. As a potential partial solution, we report the spontaneous polymerization of 3',5'-cyclic GMP in water, in formamide, in dimethylformamide, and (in water) in the presence of a Brønsted base such as 1,8-diazabicycloundec-7-ene. The reaction is untemplated, does not require enzymatic activities, is thermodynamically favoured and selectively yields 3',5'-bonded ribopolymers containing as many as 25 nucleotides. We propose a reaction pathway on the basis of 1) the measured stacking of the 3',5'-cyclic monomers, 2) the activation by Brønsted bases, 3) the determination (by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, by (31)P NMR, and by specific ribonucleases) of the molecular species produced. The reaction pathway has several of the attributes of a click-like reaction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Costanzo
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari, CNR, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Saladino R, Crestini C, Pino S, Costanzo G, Di Mauro E. Formamide and the origin of life. Phys Life Rev 2012; 9:84-104. [DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2011.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2011] [Accepted: 12/06/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
21
|
Disorder to Order, Nonlife to Life: In the Beginning There Was a Mistake. CELLULAR ORIGIN, LIFE IN EXTREME HABITATS AND ASTROBIOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-2941-4_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
|
22
|
Costanzo G, Pino S, Botta G, Saladino R, Di Mauro E. May cyclic nucleotides be a source for abiotic RNA synthesis? ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2011; 41:559-62. [PMID: 22139510 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-011-9249-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2011] [Accepted: 07/24/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Nucleic bases are obtained by heating formamide in the presence of various catalysts. Formamide chemistry also allows the formation of acyclonucleosides and the phosphorylation of nucleosides in every possible position, also affording 2',3' and 3',5' cyclic forms. We have reported that 3',5' cyclic GMP and 3',5' cyclic AMP polymerize in abiotic conditions yielding short oligonucleotides. The characterization of this reaction is being pursued, several of its parameters have been determined and experimental caveats are reported. The yield of non-enzymatic polymerization of cyclic purine nucleotides is very low. Polymerization is strongly enhanced by the presence of base-complementary RNA sequences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Costanzo
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari CNR, P.le Aldo Moro, 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
Ferus M, Kubelík P, Civiš S. Laser Spark Formamide Decomposition Studied by FT-IR Spectroscopy. J Phys Chem A 2011; 115:12132-41. [DOI: 10.1021/jp205413d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Ferus
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Dolejškova 3, 18223 Prague 8, Czech Republic
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague 8, Czech Republic
| | - P. Kubelík
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Dolejškova 3, 18223 Prague 8, Czech Republic
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague 8, Czech Republic
| | - S. Civiš
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Dolejškova 3, 18223 Prague 8, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Saladino R, Crestini C, Cossetti C, Di Mauro E, Deamer D. Catalytic effects of Murchison material: prebiotic synthesis and degradation of RNA precursors. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2011; 41:437-51. [PMID: 21484535 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-011-9239-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2010] [Accepted: 03/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Mineral components of the Murchison meteorite were investigated in terms of potential catalytic effects on synthetic and hydrolytic reactions related to ribonucleic acid. We found that the mineral surfaces catalyzed condensation reactions of formamide to form carboxylic acids, amino acids, nucleobases and sugar precursors. These results suggest that formamide condensation reactions in the parent bodies of carbonaceous meteorites could give rise to multiple organic compounds thought to be required for the emergence of life. Previous studies have demonstrated similar catalytic effects for mineral assemblies likely to have been present in the early Earth environment. The minerals had little or no effect in promoting hydrolysis of RNA (24mer of polyadenylic acid) at 80°C over a pH range from 4.2 to 9.3. RNA was most stable in the neutral pH range, with a half-life ~5 h, but at higher and lower pH ranges the half-life decreased to ~1 h. These results suggest that if RNA was somehow incorporated into a primitive form of RNA-based thermophilic life, either it must be protected from random hydrolytic events, or the rate of synthesis must exceed the rate of hydrolysis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Saladino
- Department of Agrobiology and Agrochemistry, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Michalkova A, Robinson TL, Leszczynski J. Adsorption of thymine and uracil on 1:1 clay mineral surfaces: comprehensive ab initio study on influence of sodium cation and water. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2011; 13:7862-81. [PMID: 21437301 DOI: 10.1039/c1cp00008j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This computational study performed using the density functional theory shows that hydrated and non-hydrated tetrahedral and octahedral kaolinite mineral surfaces in the presence of a cation adsorb the nucleic acid bases thymine and uracil well. Differences in the structure and chemistry of specific clay mineral surfaces led to a variety of DNA bases adsorption mechanisms. The energetically most predisposed positions for an adsorbate molecule on the mineral surface were revealed. The target molecule binding with the surface can be characterized as physisorption, which occurs mainly due to a cation-molecular oxygen interaction, with hydrogen bonds providing an additional stabilization. The adsorption strength is proportional to the number of intermolecular interactions formed between the target molecule and the surface. From the Atoms in Molecules analysis and comparison of binding energy values of studied systems it is concluded that the sorption activity of kaolinite minerals for thymine and uracil depends on various factors, among which are the structure and accessibility of the organic compounds. The adsorption is governed mostly by the surface type, its properties and presence of cation, which cause a selective binding of the nucleobase. Adsorbate stabilization on the mineral surface increases only slightly with explicit addition of water. Comparison of activity of different studied kaolinite mineral models reveals the following order for stabilization: octahedral-Na-water > octahedral-Na > tetrahedral-Na > tetrahedral-Na-water. Further investigation of the electrostatic potentials helps understanding of the adsorption process and confirmation of the active sites on the kaolinite mineral surfaces. Based on the conclusions that clay mineral affinity for DNA and RNA bases can vary due to different structural and chemical properties of the surface, a hypothesis on possible role of clays in the origin of life was made.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Michalkova
- Interdisciplinary Nanotoxicity Center, Department of Chemistry, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
|
27
|
Saladino R, Neri V, Crestini C, Costanzo G, Graciotti M, Di Mauro E. The role of the formamide/zirconia system in the synthesis of nucleobases and biogenic carboxylic acid derivatives. J Mol Evol 2010; 71:100-10. [PMID: 20665014 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-010-9366-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2009] [Accepted: 07/06/2010] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
We describe the one-pot synthesis of a large variety of nucleic acid bases and related compounds from formamide in the presence of zirconium minerals as catalysts. The major products observed are: purine, 2-hydroxy pyrimidine, 5-hydroxy pyrimidine, isocytosine, adenine, urea, and carbodiimide. The synthesis of low molecular weight amides and carboxylic acid derivatives (intermediates of extant metabolism) was also observed: glyoxylamide, glycolic-, lactic-, succinic-, oxalic-, fumaric-, and maleic acids. As the major problem in the origin of informational polymers is the instability of their precursors, we also investigated the effects of zirconia minerals on the stability of ribooligonucleotides in formamide and in water. The relevance of these findings with respect to the origin of informational polymers and primordial metabolism is discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Saladino
- Dipartimento A.B.A.C., Università della Tuscia, Via San Camillo De Lellis, 01100, Viterbo, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Costanzo G, Pino S, Ciciriello F, Di Mauro E. Generation of long RNA chains in water. J Biol Chem 2009; 284:33206-16. [PMID: 19801553 PMCID: PMC2785163 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m109.041905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2009] [Revised: 10/02/2009] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The synthesis of RNA chains from 3',5'-cAMP and 3',5'-cGMP was observed. The RNA chains formed in water, at moderate temperatures (40-90 degrees C), in the absence of enzymes or inorganic catalysts. As determined by RNase analyses, the bonds formed were canonical 3',5'-phosphodiester bonds. The polymerizations are based on two reactions not previously described: 1) oligomerization of 3', 5'-cGMP to approximately 25-nucleotide-long RNA molecules, and of 3',5'-cAMP to 4- to 8-nucleotide-long molecules. Oligonucleotide A molecules were further extended by reciprocal terminal ligation to yield RNA molecules up to >120 nucleotides long and 2) chain extension by terminal ligation of newly polymerized products of 3',5'-cGMP on preformed oligonucleotides. The enzyme- and template-independent synthesis of long oligomers in water from prebiotically affordable precursors approaches the concept of spontaneous generation of (pre)genetic information.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Samanta Pino
- the Dipartimento di Genetica e Biologia Molecolare, Università La Sapienza di Roma, and
| | - Fabiana Ciciriello
- the Dipartimento di Genetica e Biologia Molecolare, Università La Sapienza di Roma, and
| | - Ernesto Di Mauro
- the Fondazione Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci-Bolognetti, c/o Dipartimento di Genetica e Biologia Molecolare, Università La Sapienza di Roma, P. le Aldo Moro, 5, Rome 00185, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Saladino R, Crestini C, Ciciriello F, Pino S, Costanzo G, Di Mauro E. From formamide to RNA: the roles of formamide and water in the evolution of chemical information. Res Microbiol 2009; 160:441-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2009.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2009] [Revised: 05/22/2009] [Accepted: 06/03/2009] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
30
|
Ciciriello F, Costanzo G, Pino S, Di Mauro E. Spontaneous Generation Revisited at the Molecular Level. Evol Biol 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-00952-5_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
|
31
|
Pino S, Ciciriello F, Costanzo G, Di Mauro E. Nonenzymatic RNA ligation in water. J Biol Chem 2008; 283:36494-503. [PMID: 18977755 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m805333200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe the nonenzymatic ligation of RNA oligomers in water. Dimers and tetramers are formed in a time-, pH-, and temperature-dependent reaction. Ligation efficiency depends on oligonucleotide length and sequence and is strongly enhanced by adenine-based nucleotide cofactors. Ligation of short RNA fragments could have liberated the prebiotic polymerization systems from the thermodynamically demanding task of reaching a (pre)genetically meaningful size by stepwise addition of one precursor monomer at the time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samanta Pino
- Dipartimento di Genetica e Biologia Molecolare, Università La Sapienza, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Saladino R, Neri V, Crestini C, Costanzo G, Graciotti M, Di Mauro E. Synthesis and degradation of nucleic acid components by formamide and iron sulfur minerals. J Am Chem Soc 2008; 130:15512-8. [PMID: 18939836 DOI: 10.1021/ja804782e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
We describe the one-pot synthesis of a large panel of nucleic bases and related compounds from formamide in the presence of iron sulfur and iron-copper sulfur minerals as catalysts. The major products observed are purine, 1H-pyrimidinone, isocytosine, adenine, 2-aminopurine, carbodiimide, urea, and oxalic acid. Isocytosine and 2-aminopurine may recognize natural nucleobases by Watson-Crick and reverse Watson-Crick interactions, thus suggesting novel scenarios for the origin of primordial nucleic acids. Since the major problem in the origin of informational polymers is the instability of their precursors, we also investigate the effects of iron sulfur and iron-copper sulfur minerals on the stability of ribooligonucleotides in formamide and in water. All of the iron sulfur and iron-copper sulfur minerals stimulated degradation of RNA. The relevance of these findings with respect to the origin of informational polymers is discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Saladino
- Dipartimento di Agrobiologia ed Agrochimica, Università della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
33
|
Ciciriello F, Costanzo G, Pino S, Crestini C, Saladino R, Di Mauro E. Molecular complexity favors the evolution of ribopolymers. Biochemistry 2008; 47:2732-42. [PMID: 18220362 DOI: 10.1021/bi7021014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
We have explored the stability of selected ribo oligomers in water and have determined the physical-chemical conditions in which the key 3'-phosphoester bond is more stable when embedded in the polymer than when present in the monomer. In these conditions, the spontaneous formation and the survival of ribo polymers are potentially favored. A narrow pH range was identified in which complex sequences resist degradation markedly more than monotonous ones, thus potentially favoring the evolution of sequence-based genetic information. Given that the founding property of a polymer is to maintain its polymeric form and its sequence information, these findings support the view that the evolution of pregenetic molecular information occurred based on intrinsic properties of nucleic polymers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fabiana Ciciriello
- Dipartimento di Genetica e Biologia Molecolare, Università di Roma Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Costanzo G, Saladino R, Crestini C, Ciciriello F, Di Mauro E. Formamide as the main building block in the origin of nucleic acids. BMC Evol Biol 2007; 7 Suppl 2:S1. [PMID: 17767725 PMCID: PMC1963486 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-7-s2-s1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The simplest molecules grouping the four most common elements of the universe H,C,O and N (with the exception of the biologically inert He) are isocyanate HNCO and formamide H2NCOH. Reasons for the availability of formamide on prebiotic Earth are presented. We review evidence showing that formamide in the presence of largely available catalysts and by moderate heating yields the complete set of nucleic bases necessary for the formation of nucleic acids. Formamide also favours the formation of acyclonucleosides and the phosphorylation and trans-phosphorylation of nucleosides, thus providing a plausible chemical frame for the passage from a simple one-carbon compound to nucleic polymers. Physico-chemical conditions exist in which formamide favours the stability of the phosphoester bonds in nucleic polymers relative to that of the same bonds in monomers. Starting from a formamide-laden environment subject only to the laws of chemistry, a hypothesis is outlined sketching the passage towards an aqueous world in which Darwinian rules apply.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Costanzo
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari, CNR, P.le Aldo Moro, 5, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Raffaele Saladino
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari, CNR, P.le Aldo Moro, 5, Rome 00185, Italy
- Dipartimento A.B.A.C., Università della Tuscia, Via San Camillo De Lellis, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Claudia Crestini
- Marine Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, Università "Tor Vergata", Rome 00133, Italy
| | - Fabiana Ciciriello
- Fondazione "Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci-Bolognetti" c/o Dipartimento di Genetica e Biologia Molecolare, Università "La Sapienza" di Roma, P.le Aldo Moro, 5, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Ernesto Di Mauro
- Ernesto Di Mauro, Dipartimento di Genetica e Biologia Molecolare, Università "La Sapienza" di Roma, P.le Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Ciciriello F, Costanzo G, Crestini C, Saladino R, Di Mauro E. Origin of informational polymers and the search for non-terran life: protection of the polymeric state of DNA by phosphate minerals. ASTROBIOLOGY 2007; 7:616-30. [PMID: 17723093 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2006.0044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
An in-depth analysis of the effects exerted on the DNA backbone by 25 crystal phosphate minerals is reported. Degradation of DNA oligomers was performed with two different reactions: Hydrolysis following Nucleophilic Degradation (HND), initiated by the nucleophilic addition of formamide on both purine and pyrimidine nucleobases, and Hydrolysis following Nucleophilic Substitution (HNS) carried on by water and starting with the removal of a nondegraded base. A complete panel of effects on the phosphoester bonds, from protection to enhanced instability to absence of interference, is described. These effects differ in the different degradation pathways and in different physical-chemical conditions. The relationship between the hardness of the mineral and its protective ability is discussed. In addition to its interest per se, this study was prompted by the observed catalytic abilities of soluble and mineral phosphates (Saladino et al., 2006c) on the synthetic reactions by formamide. The relevance of these observations in the search for nonterran life is discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fabiana Ciciriello
- Dipartimento di Genetica e Biologia Molecolare, Università La Sapienza di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
36
|
Saladino R, Crestini C, Ciciriello F, Costanzo G, Di Mauro E. Formamide chemistry and the origin of informational polymers. Chem Biodivers 2007; 4:694-720. [PMID: 17443884 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.200790059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Formamide (HCONH2) provides a chemical frame potentially affording all the monomeric components necessary for the formation of nucleic polymers. In the presence of the appropriate catalysts, and by moderate heating, formamide yields a complete set of nucleic bases, acyclonucleosides, and favors both phosphorylations and transphosphorylations. Physico-chemical conditions exist in which formamide favors the stability of the phosphoester bonds in nucleic polymers more than that of the same bonds in monomers. This property establishes 'thermodynamic niches' in which the polymeric forms are favored. The hypothesis that these specific attributes of formamide allowed the onset of prebiotic chemical equilibria capable of Darwinian evolution is discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Saladino
- Dipartimento A. B. A. C., Università della Tuscia, Via San Camillo De Lellis, I-01100 Viterbo
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Zhang P, Zhang N, Buckwold VE, Hosmane RS. Chemical and biological effects of substitution of the 2-position of ring-expanded ('fat') nucleosides containing the imidazo[4,5-e][1,3]diazepine-4,8-dione ring system: the role of electronic and steric factors on glycosidic bond stability and anti-HCV activity. Bioorg Med Chem 2007; 15:4933-45. [PMID: 17507230 PMCID: PMC2754285 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2007.04.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2007] [Revised: 04/17/2007] [Accepted: 04/25/2007] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The attempted removal of the aralkyl group of 2-bromo-1-p-methoxybenzyl-6-octylimidazo[4,5-e][1,3]diazepine (ZP-33) with trifluoroacetic acid resulted in replacement of the bromo group with a carbonyl at position-2 in addition to the desired deprotection at the 1-position. 2'-Deoxynucleosides of 2-bromo-substituted-imidazole-4,5-diesters (ZP-35 and ZP-103) were synthesized by direct glycosylation of the corresponding heterocycles. The attempted ring-closure of the above nucleosides resulted in deglycosylation to form the starting heterocycles. The 2-phenyl derivatives of the above nucleosides (ZP-45 and ZP-73) were successfully prepared by Suzuki coupling with the appropriate phenylboronic acids, but the attempted ring-closure with guanidines to form the desired 5,7-fused ring-expanded nucleosides (RENs) resulted once again in the formation of the corresponding heterocyclic aglycons (ZP-64 and ZP-75). The first successful 2-substituted REN (ZP-110) was synthesized by replacing the 2-deoxyribose sugar moiety with a ribosyl group and replacing the bromo group with a p-methoxyphenyl substituent at the 2-position. A number of imidazole riboside diester precursors containing a substituted phenyl group at the 2-position were synthesized in order to prepare analogues of ZP-110. The substituents on the phenyl ring included a variety of electron-donating or electron-withdrawing groups operating through inductive and/or resonance effects. However, the final ring-closure of the diesters with guanidines in order to prepare RENs was successful only in a limited number of cases, including the ones containing a p-fluorophenyl (ZP-121), a m-methoxyphenyl (ZP-122), or an unsubstituted phenyl (NZ-53) at the 2-position. Deglycosylation and incomplete ring-closure of the intermediates were the major problems encountered with most other cases. The stability of glycosidic bonds was found to be dependent on several factors including, but not limited to, the electron-donating inductive effect of the 2-phenyl substituents and the temperature of the reaction medium. The three target RENs ZP-110, ZP-121, and ZP-122 were screened for in vitro anti-HCV activity, employing an HCV RNA replicon assay. While ZP-121 was inactive, the other two compounds showed only weak anti-HCV activity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peng Zhang
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, Maryland 21250
| | - Ning Zhang
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, Maryland 21250
| | - Victor E. Buckwold
- Antimicrobial Acquisition and Coordinating Facility (AACF), Southern Research Institute, 431 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701
| | - Ramachandra S. Hosmane
- Laboratory for Drug Design and Synthesis, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, Maryland 21250
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 410 455 2520; fax: +1 410 455 1148; e-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Costanzo G, Saladino R, Crestini C, Ciciriello F, Di Mauro E. Nucleoside phosphorylation by phosphate minerals. J Biol Chem 2007; 282:16729-35. [PMID: 17412692 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m611346200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
In the presence of formamide, crystal phosphate minerals may act as phosphate donors to nucleosides, yielding both 5'- and, to a lesser extent, 3'-phosphorylated forms. With the mineral Libethenite the formation of 5'-AMP can be as high as 6% of the adenosine input and last for at least 10(3) h. At high concentrations, soluble non-mineral phosphate donors (KH(2)PO(4) or 5'-CMP) afford 2'- and 2':3'-cyclic AMP in addition to 5'-and 3'-AMP. The phosphate minerals analyzed were Herderite Ca[BePO(4)F], Hureaulite Mn(2+)(5)(PO(3)(OH)(2)(PO(4))(2)(H(2)O)(4), Libethenite Cu(2+)(2)(PO(4))(OH), Pyromorphite Pb(5)(PO(4))(3)Cl, Turquoise Cu(2+)Al(6)(PO(4))(4)(OH)(8)(H(2)O)(4), Fluorapatite Ca(5)(PO(4))(3)F, Hydroxylapatite Ca(5)(PO(4))(3)OH, Vivianite Fe(2+)(3)(PO(4))(2)(H(2)O)(8), Cornetite Cu(2+)(3)(PO(4))(OH)(3), Pseudomalachite Cu(2+)(5)(PO(4))(2)(OH)(4), Reichenbachite Cu(2+)(5)(PO(4))(2)(OH)(4), and Ludjibaite Cu(2+)(5)(PO(4))(2)(OH)(4)). Based on their behavior in the formamide-driven nucleoside phosphorylation reaction, these minerals can be characterized as: 1) inactive, 2) low level phosphorylating agents, or 3) active phosphorylating agents. Instances were detected (Libethenite and Hydroxylapatite) in which phosphorylation occurs on the mineral surface, followed by release of the phosphorylated compounds. Libethenite and Cornetite markedly protect the beta-glycosidic bond. Thus, activated nucleic monomers can form in a liquid non-aqueous environment in conditions compatible with the thermodynamics of polymerization, providing a solution to the standard-state Gibbs free energy change (DeltaG degrees ') problem, the major obstacle for polymerizations in the liquid phase in plausible prebiotic scenarios.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Costanzo
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Pizalle Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
39
|
Saladino R, Crestini C, Neri V, Ciciriello F, Costanzo G, Di Mauro E. Origin of informational polymers: The concurrent roles of formamide and phosphates. Chembiochem 2007; 7:1707-14. [PMID: 17051657 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.200600139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Formamide chemistry provides a unitary system by gathering all of the precursors needed to synthesise pregenetic informational polymers in a single milieu. This is not observed with HCN chemistry. With common catalysts, formamide affords all of the precursor nucleobases, photochemically condenses into acyclonucleosides, favours transphosphorylation and enhances micellar aggregation of surfactants. Also, formamide provides a set of physicochemical conditions that thermodynamically favour the polymeric state of nucleotides over the monomers. In the origin-of-informational-polymers scenario, formamide acts in every step, the least characterised being the set of its reactions with phosphates. On this matter, we report two complementary sets of results: 1) the synthesis of prebiotic precursors from formamide, which are catalysed by soluble and mineral phosphates-we observed the formation of rich mixtures that include uracil, 9H-purine, cytosine, dihydrouracil, hypoxanthine, adenosine, urea, parabanic acid, the amino acid N-formylglycine and the peptide-condensing agent carbodiimide; and 2) the protection of ribo- and deoxyribophosphoester bonds by phosphates. The relevance of these effects with respect to the origin of informational polymers is discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Saladino
- Dipartimento A.B.A.C., Università della Tuscia, Via San Camillo De Lellis, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|