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Knoll P, Ouyang B, Steinbock O. Patterns Lead the Way to Far-from-Equilibrium Materials. ACS PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY AU 2024; 4:19-30. [PMID: 38283788 PMCID: PMC10811769 DOI: 10.1021/acsphyschemau.3c00050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
The universe is a complex fabric of repeating patterns that unfold their beauty in system-specific diversity. The periodic table, crystallography, and the genetic code are classic examples that illustrate how even a small number of rules generate a vast range of shapes and structures. Today, we are on the brink of an AI-driven revolution that will reveal an unprecedented number of novel patterns, many of which will escape human intuition and expertise. We suggest that in the second half of the 21st century, the challenge for Physical Chemistry will be to guide and interpret these advances in the broader context of physical sciences and materials-related engineering. If we succeed in this role, Physical Chemistry will be able to extend to new horizons. In this article, we will discuss examples that strike us as particularly promising, specifically the discovery of high-entropy and far-from-equilibrium materials as well as applications to origins-of-life research and the search for life on other planets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Knoll
- School
of Physics and Astronomy, Institute for Condensed Matter and Complex
Systems, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, U.K.
| | - Bin Ouyang
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State
University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4390, United States
| | - Oliver Steinbock
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State
University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4390, United States
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2
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Liang Y, Zhang J, Xu C, Wang J, Han W, Yang J, Wu S, An J, Liu J, Zhang Z, Shi J, Zhang K. Biomimetic Mineralized CRISPR/Cas RNA Nanoparticles for Efficient Tumor-Specific Multiplex Gene Editing. ACS NANO 2023; 17:15025-15043. [PMID: 37481734 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c04116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
CRISPR/Cas9 systems have great potential to achieve sophisticated gene therapy and cell engineering by editing multiple genomic loci. However, to achieve efficient multiplex gene editing, the delivery system needs adequate capacity to transfect all CRISPR/Cas9 RNA species at the required stoichiometry into the cytosol of each individual cell. Herein, inspired by biomineralization in nature, we develop an all-in-one biomimetic mineralized CRISPR/Cas9 RNA delivery system. This system allows for precise control over the coencapsulation ratio between Cas9 mRNA and multiple sgRNAs, while also exhibiting a high RNA loading capacity. In addition, it enhances the storage stability of RNA at 4 °C for up to one month, and the surface of the nanoparticles can be easily functionalized for precise targeting of RNA nanoparticles in vivo at nonliver sites. Based on the above characteristics, as a proof-of-concept, our system was able to achieve significant gene-editing at each target gene (Survivin: 31.9%, PLK1: 24.41%, HPV: 23.2%) and promote apoptosis of HeLa cells in the mouse model, inhibiting tumor growth without obvious off-target effects in liver tissue. This system addresses various challenges associated with multicomponent RNA delivery in vivo, providing an innovative strategy for the RNA-based CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Liang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Targeting Therapy and Diagnosis for Critical Diseases Collaborative Innovation Center of New Drug Research and Safety Evaluation, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
| | - Jingge Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Targeting Therapy and Diagnosis for Critical Diseases Collaborative Innovation Center of New Drug Research and Safety Evaluation, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
| | - Chenlu Xu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Targeting Therapy and Diagnosis for Critical Diseases Collaborative Innovation Center of New Drug Research and Safety Evaluation, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
| | - Jinjin Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Targeting Therapy and Diagnosis for Critical Diseases Collaborative Innovation Center of New Drug Research and Safety Evaluation, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
| | - Wenshuai Han
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Targeting Therapy and Diagnosis for Critical Diseases Collaborative Innovation Center of New Drug Research and Safety Evaluation, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
| | - Jiali Yang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Targeting Therapy and Diagnosis for Critical Diseases Collaborative Innovation Center of New Drug Research and Safety Evaluation, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
| | - Sixuan Wu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Targeting Therapy and Diagnosis for Critical Diseases Collaborative Innovation Center of New Drug Research and Safety Evaluation, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
| | - Jingyi An
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Targeting Therapy and Diagnosis for Critical Diseases Collaborative Innovation Center of New Drug Research and Safety Evaluation, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
| | - Junjie Liu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Targeting Therapy and Diagnosis for Critical Diseases Collaborative Innovation Center of New Drug Research and Safety Evaluation, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
| | - Zhenzhong Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Targeting Therapy and Diagnosis for Critical Diseases Collaborative Innovation Center of New Drug Research and Safety Evaluation, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
| | - Jinjin Shi
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Targeting Therapy and Diagnosis for Critical Diseases Collaborative Innovation Center of New Drug Research and Safety Evaluation, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
| | - Kaixiang Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Targeting Therapy and Diagnosis for Critical Diseases Collaborative Innovation Center of New Drug Research and Safety Evaluation, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
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3
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Trutschel LR, Kruger BR, Sackett JD, Chadwick GL, Rowe AR. Determining resident microbial community members and their correlations with geochemistry in a serpentinizing spring. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1182497. [PMID: 37396382 PMCID: PMC10308030 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1182497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial serpentinizing systems allow us insight into the realm of alkaliphilic microbial communities driven by geology in a way that is frequently more accessible than their deep subsurface or marine counterparts. However, these systems are also marked by geochemical and microbial community variation due to the interactions of serpentinized fluids with host geology and the surface environment. To separate the transient from the endemic microbes in a hyperalkaline environment, we assessed the Ney Springs terrestrial serpentinizing system microbial community and geochemistry at six time points over the span of a year. Using 16S rRNA gene surveys we observed 93 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) that were found at every sampling event. This is compared to ~17,000 transient ASVs that were detected only once across the six sampling events. Of the resident community members, 16 of these ASVs were regularly greater than 1% of the community during every sampling period. Additionally, many of these core taxa experienced statistically significant changes in relative abundance with time. Variation in the abundance of some core populations correlated with geochemical variation. For example, members of the Tindallia group, showed a positive correlation with variation in levels of ammonia at the spring. Investigating the metagenome assembled genomes of these microbes revealed evidence of the potential for ammonia generation via Stickland reactions within Tindallia. This observation offers new insight into the origin of high ammonia concentrations (>70 mg/L) seen at this site. Similarly, the abundance of putative sulfur-oxidizing microbes like Thiomicrospira, Halomonas, and a Rhodobacteraceae species could be linked to changes observed in sulfur-oxidation intermediates like tetrathionate and thiosulfate. While these data supports the influence of core microbial community members on a hyperalkaline spring's geochemistry, there is also evidence that subsurface processes affect geochemistry and may impact community dynamics as well. Though the physiology and ecology of these astrobiologically relevant ecosystems are still being uncovered, this work helps identify a stable microbial community that impacts spring geochemistry in ways not previously observed in serpentinizing ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah R. Trutschel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Brittany R. Kruger
- Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Joshua D. Sackett
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Grayson L. Chadwick
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Annette R. Rowe
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States
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4
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Reyes G, Vega-Coloma M, Antonova A, Ajdary R, Jonveaux S, Flanigan C, Lautenbacher N, Rojas OJ. Direct CO 2 Capture by Alkali-Dissolved Cellulose and Sequestration in Building Materials and Artificial Reef Structures. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2209327. [PMID: 36516448 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202209327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Current carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies require high energy input and costly catalysts. Here, an effective pathway is offered that addresses climate action by atmospheric CO2 sequestration. Industrially relevant highly reactive alkali cellulose solutions are used as CO2 absorption media. The latter lead to mineralized cellulose materials (MCM) at a tailorable cellulose-to-mineral ratio, forming organic-inorganic viscous systems (viscosity from 102 to 107 mPa s and storage modulus from 10 to 105 Pa). CO2 absorption and conversion into calcium carbonate and associated minerals translate to maximum absorption of 6.5 gCO2 gcellulose -1 , tracking inversely with cellulose loading. Cellulose lean gels are easily converted into dry powders, shown as a functional component of ceramic glazes and cementitious composites. Meanwhile, cellulose-rich gels are moldable and extrudable, yielding stone-like structures tested as artificial substrates for coral reef restoration. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) suggests new CCU opportunities for building materials, as demonstrated in underwater deployment for coral reef ecosystem restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Reyes
- Biobased Colloids and Materials, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, FI-00076, Finland
| | - Mabel Vega-Coloma
- Departamento de Ingeniería en Maderas, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Av. Collao 1202, Casilla 5-C, Concepción, 4081112, Chile
| | - Anna Antonova
- Department of Civil Engineering, Aalto University, Rakentajanaukio 4 A, Otaniemi, Espoo, 02150, Finland
| | - Rubina Ajdary
- Biobased Colloids and Materials, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, FI-00076, Finland
| | - Solène Jonveaux
- Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, Quebec, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Colleen Flanigan
- Zoe - A Living Sea Sculpture in Cozumel, Av. Rafael E. Melgar, San Miguel de Cozumel, Q.R., 77688, Mexico
| | - Nathalie Lautenbacher
- Department of Design, Aalto University, Otaniementie 14, Otaniemi, Espoo, 02150, Finland
| | - Orlando J Rojas
- Biobased Colloids and Materials, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, FI-00076, Finland
- Bioproducts Institute, Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Department of Chemistry and Department of Wood Science, The University of British Columbia, 2360 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
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5
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Cheng X, Huang J, Wang R, Xu Y, Wu N, Zhou J, Liu X, Wang H, Chen H. Inorganic-organic coprecipitation: spontaneous formation of enclosed and porous silica compartments with enriched biopolymers. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:2394-2401. [PMID: 36651126 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr05320a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
We show that it is possible to spontaneously form all-enclosed compartments with microporous shells and enriched biopolymers via simple coprecipitation of silica and biopolymers. The reaction involves mild conditions and tolerates the random mixing of multiple reagents. Such a synthetic advance points to a new direction for resolving the chicken-egg dilemma of how the early life forms were hosted: without a physical barrier it would be difficult to maintain organized reactions, but without organized reactions, it would be difficult to create a cell membrane. In our synthesis, the divalent cation Ca2+ plays a critical role in the co-precipitation and in creating hollow compartments after simple dilution with water. The precursor of silica, poly(silicic acid), is a negatively charged, cross-linked polymer. It could be co-precipitated with negatively charged biopolymers such as DNA and proteins, whereas the remaining silica precursor forms a conformal and microporous shell on the surface of the initial precipitate. After etching, the biopolymers are retained inside the hollow compartments. The fact that multiple favorable conditions are easily brought together in enclosed compartments opens new possibilities in theorizing the host of early life forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejun Cheng
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, 18 Shilongshan Road, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang Province, China.
- Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, 18 Shilongshan Road, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Jie Huang
- Institute of Advanced Synthesis (IAS) and School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Centre for Advanced Materials, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China.
| | - Ruoxu Wang
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, 18 Shilongshan Road, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang Province, China.
- Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, 18 Shilongshan Road, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Yue Xu
- Institute of Advanced Synthesis (IAS) and School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Centre for Advanced Materials, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China.
| | - Nan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211800, China.
| | - Jie Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211800, China.
| | - Xueyang Liu
- Institute of Advanced Synthesis (IAS) and School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Centre for Advanced Materials, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China.
| | - Hong Wang
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
| | - Hongyu Chen
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, 18 Shilongshan Road, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang Province, China.
- Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, 18 Shilongshan Road, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang Province, China
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6
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Angelis G, Sant G, Vizirianakis IS, Pampalakis G. Growth of chemical gardens in gaseous acidic atmospheres. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023; 59:1505-1508. [PMID: 36655875 DOI: 10.1039/d2cc06843e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The generation of chemobrionic architectures through slow injection of aqueous silicate solution in gaseous TiCl4 is demonstrated. The tubes were characterized by XRD, SEM and wet chemistry control experiments, and their mechanism of formation was unraveled. These structures serve as laboratory models for calthemites or soda straws.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Angelis
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece.
| | - Georgios Sant
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece.
| | - Ioannis S Vizirianakis
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece. .,Department of Life and Health Sciences, University of Nicosia, Nicosia 2417, Cyprus
| | - Georgios Pampalakis
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece.
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7
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González-Ramírez LA, Moreno A, Ng JD, García-Ruiz JM. Investigations on the Role of Iron (III) and Silica-Iron (III) for DNA Protection Against Highly Intense UV Radiation: Tracking the Connection of Prebiotic Chemistry to Biology. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:33-42. [PMID: 36257639 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0004] [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: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The mineral reaction pathways that yield organic compounds of increasing complexity would have required a means of protective screening against strong ultraviolet radiation for macromolecular assembly on early Earth. In this study, a bacterial chromosomal plasmid DNA was used as a model biomolecule that represents a complex polymeric nucleic acid containing genetic information. The plasmid DNA was exposed to UV radiation through a medium containing air, water, iron (Fe3+), or silica-iron rich aqueous solutions. Our results demonstrate that the plasmid DNA underwent covalent breakage in an aqueous solution when exposed to UV radiation but was shielded against damage due to the presence of iron and silica. It is demonstrated that a suspension of ca. 40 nm colloidal particles of silica gel embedded with Fe3+ ions adsorbed on silanol groups that formed nanoclusters of noncrystalline iron hydroxide is an extremely efficient shelter against intense UV radiation. The implications for our understanding of primitive Earth and Earth-like planets, moons, and asteroids are discussed. The stability of a chromosomal DNA molecule against UV radiation in the presence of iron and silica may provide support on how macromolecules endured early Earth environments and brought forth important implications on early molecular survival against UV radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis A González-Ramírez
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-UGR, Armilla, Spain
| | - Abel Moreno
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-UGR, Armilla, Spain
- Instituto de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Joseph D Ng
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
| | - Juan M García-Ruiz
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-UGR, Armilla, Spain
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8
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Huld S, McMahon S, Sjöberg S, Huang P, Neubeck A. Chemical Gardens Mimic Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectra and Morphology of Biogenic Mn Oxides. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:24-32. [PMID: 36450112 PMCID: PMC9810355 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0194] [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: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Manganese (Mn) oxides are ubiquitous in nature and occur as both biological and abiotic minerals, but empirically distinguishing between the two remains a problem. Recently, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy has been proposed for this purpose. It has been reported that biogenic Mn oxides display a characteristic narrow linewidth in contrast to their pure abiotic counterparts, which is explained in part by the large number of cation vacancies that form within the layers of biogenic Mn oxides. It was, therefore, proposed that natural samples that display a narrow EPR linewidth, ΔHpp < 580G, could be assigned to a biogenic origin. However, in poorly crystalline or amorphous solids, both dipolar broadening and exchange narrowing simultaneously determine the linewidth. Considering that the spectral linewidth is governed by several mechanisms, this approach might be questioned. In this study, we report synthetic chemical garden Mn oxide biomorphs that exhibit both morphologically life-like structures and narrow EPR linewidths, suggesting that a narrow EPR line may be unsuitable as reliable evidence in assessment of biogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigrid Huld
- Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sean McMahon
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Susanne Sjöberg
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ping Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anna Neubeck
- Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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9
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Cuéllar-Cruz M, Islas SR, Ramírez-Ramírez N, Pedraza-Reyes M, Moreno A. Protection of the DNA from Selected Species of Five Kingdoms in Nature by Ba(II), Sr(II), and Ca(II) Silica-Carbonates: Implications about Biogenicity and Evolving from Prebiotic Chemistry to Biological Chemistry. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:37410-37426. [PMID: 36312347 PMCID: PMC9609056 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c04170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The origin of life on Earth is associated with the Precambrian era, in which the existence of a large diversity of microbial fossils has been demonstrated. Notwithstanding, despite existing evidence of the emergence of life many unsolved questions remain. The first question could be as follows: Which was the inorganic structure that allowed isolation and conservation of the first biomolecules in the existing reduced conditions of the primigenial era? Minerals have been postulated as the ones in charge of protecting theses biomolecules against the external environment. There are calcium, barium, or strontium silica-carbonates, called biomorphs, which we propose as being one of the first inorganic structures in which biomolecules were protected from the external medium. Biomorphs are structures with different biological morphologies that are not formed by cells, but by nanocrystals; some of their morphologies resemble the microfossils found in Precambrian cherts. Even though biomorphs are unknown structures in the geological registry, their similarity with some biological forms, including some Apex fossils, could suggest them as the first "inorganic scaffold" where the first biomolecules became concentrated, conserved, aligned, and duplicated to give rise to the pioneering cell. However, it has not been documented whether biomorphs could have been the primary structures that conserved biomolecules in the Precambrian era. To attain a better understanding on whether biomorphs could have been the inorganic scaffold that existed in the primigenial Earth, the aim of this contribution is to synthesize calcium, barium, and strontium biomorphs in the presence of genomic DNA from organisms of the five kingdoms in conditions emulating the atmosphere of the Precambrian era and that CO2 concentration in conditions emulating current atmospheric conditions. Our results showed, for the first time, the formation of the kerogen signal, which is a marker of biogenicity in fossils, in the biomorphs grown in the presence of DNA. We also found the DNA to be internalized into the structure of biomorphs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayra Cuéllar-Cruz
- Departamento
de Biología, División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas,
Campus Guanajuato, Universidad de Guanajuato, Noria Alta S/N, Col. Noria Alta,
C.P. 36050, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Selene R. Islas
- Instituto
de Ciencias Aplicadas y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, México City, 04510 Mexico
| | - Norma Ramírez-Ramírez
- Departamento
de Biología, División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas,
Campus Guanajuato, Universidad de Guanajuato, Noria Alta S/N, Col. Noria Alta,
C.P. 36050, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Mario Pedraza-Reyes
- Departamento
de Biología, División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas,
Campus Guanajuato, Universidad de Guanajuato, Noria Alta S/N, Col. Noria Alta,
C.P. 36050, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Abel Moreno
- Instituto
de Química, Universidad Nacional
Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3000, Ciudad Universitaria, México City 04510. Mexico
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10
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Rieder J, Nützl M, Kunz W, Kellermeier M. Formation and Dynamic Behavior of Macroscopic Aluminum-Based Silica Gardens. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:10392-10399. [PMID: 35976253 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Chemical gardens are self-assembled structures with intricate plant-like morphologies and consist of mineralized membranes, which form spontaneously at interfaces between compartments with dissimilar chemical composition, most typically acidic metal salt and alkaline sodium silicate solutions. While this phenomenon is thought to occur in a number of practical settings, it has also proven to be valuable for investigating transport characteristics in distinct applied systems. For example, coupled diffusion and precipitation processes were monitored in silica gardens based on calcium and iron salts, considered to be models for cement hydration and steel corrosion, respectively. Here we extend these studies to the case of aluminum-based silica gardens, one of the so far less frequently investigated examples of silica gardens. To this end, single macroscopic tubes were prepared in a reproducible way by the controlled addition of sodium silicate solution to a pellet of pressed aluminum nitrate. Continued sampling of the volumes enclosed by and surrounding the formed membraneous structure allowed the time-dependent development of ion concentration gradients to be tracked over extended periods of time, while both the pH and electrochemical potential differences across the membrane were recorded online by immersed probes. The dynamic behavior revealed in this way was finally complemented by ex-situ analyses of the composition of the formed tubes. The collected data shows that the as-prepared tubular structures consist of sodium aluminosilicate phases with certain similarities to zeolites and geopolymers. The emerging tube wall was further found to be permeable to all ionic species present in the system, allowing significant electrochemical potential to be sustained over tens of hours until diffusion had eventually diminished the initially generated gradients. The findings of this work may have important implications for the geochemical fate of natural aluminosilicate sources, the use of such geopolymers in construction applications, and the synthesis and properties of zeolites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Rieder
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Maximilian Nützl
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Werner Kunz
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Kellermeier
- Material Science, BASF SE, RGA/BM - B007, Carl-Bosch-Str. 38, D-67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany
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11
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Biogeochemical fingerprinting of magnetotactic bacterial magnetite. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2203758119. [PMID: 35901209 PMCID: PMC9351444 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2203758119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Biominerals are important archives of the presence of life and environmental processes in the geological record. However, ascribing a clear biogenic nature to minerals with nanometer-sized dimensions has proven challenging. Identifying hallmark features of biologically controlled mineralization is particularly important for the case of magnetite crystals, resembling those produced by magnetotactic bacteria (MTB), which have been used as evidence of early prokaryotic life on Earth and in meteorites. We show here that magnetite produced by MTB displays a clear coupled C-N signal that is absent in abiogenic and/or biomimetic (protein-mediated) nanometer-sized magnetite. We attribute the presence of this signal to intracrystalline organic components associated with proteins involved in magnetosome formation by MTB. These results demonstrate that we can assign a biogenic origin to nanometer-sized magnetite crystals, and potentially other biominerals of similar dimensions, using unique geochemical signatures directly measured at the nanoscale. This finding is significant for searching for the earliest presence of life in the Earth's geological record and prokaryotic life on other planets.
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12
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Ding Y, Gutiérrez-Ariza CM, Zheng M, Felgate A, Lawes A, Sainz-Díaz CI, Cartwright JHE, Cardoso SSS. Downward fingering accompanies upward tube growth in a chemical garden grown in a vertical confined geometry. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:17841-17851. [PMID: 35851594 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp01862d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Chemical gardens are self-assembled structures of mineral precipitates enabled by semi-permeable membranes. To explore the effects of gravity on the formation of chemical gardens, we have studied chemical gardens grown from cobalt chloride pellets and aqueous sodium silicate solution in a vertical Hele-Shaw cell. Through photography, we have observed and quantitatively analysed upward growing tubes and downward growing fingers. The latter were not seen in previous experimental studies involving similar physicochemical systems in 3-dimensional or horizontal confined geometry. To better understand the results, further studies of flow patterns, buoyancy forces, and growth dynamics under schlieren optics have been carried out, together with characterisation of the precipitates with scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry. In addition to an ascending flow and the resulting precipitation of tubular filaments, a previously not reported descending flow has been observed which, under some conditions, is accompanied by precipitation of solid fingering structures. We conclude that the physics of both the ascending and descending flows are shaped by buoyancy, together with osmosis and chemical reaction. The existence of the descending flow might highlight a limitation in current experimental methods for growing chemical gardens under gravity, where seeds are typically not suspended in the middle of the solution and are confined by the bottom of the vessel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Ding
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge Site, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK.
| | - Carlos M Gutiérrez-Ariza
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad de Granada, Avenida de las Palmeras, 4, E-18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain.
| | - Mingchuan Zheng
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge Site, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK.
| | - Amy Felgate
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge Site, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK.
| | - Anna Lawes
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge Site, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK.
| | - C Ignacio Sainz-Díaz
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad de Granada, Avenida de las Palmeras, 4, E-18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain.
| | - Julyan H E Cartwright
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad de Granada, Avenida de las Palmeras, 4, E-18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain. .,Instituto Carlos I de Física Teórica y Computacional, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Avenida de Fuente Nueva, s/n, E-18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Silvana S S Cardoso
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge Site, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK.
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13
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Angelis G, Katsanou ME, Giannopoulos-Dimitriou A, Vizirianakis IS, Pampalakis G. Generation of chemobrionic jellyfishes that mechanically divide, grow and exhibit biomimetic “symbiosis”. CHEMSYSTEMSCHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/syst.202200001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Angelis
- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki: Aristoteleio Panepistemio Thessalonikes Pharmacy GREECE
| | - Maria-Eleni Katsanou
- Aristoteleio Panepistimio Thessalonikis: Aristoteleio Panepistemio Thessalonikes Pharmacy GREECE
| | | | - Ioannis S. Vizirianakis
- Aristoteleio Panepistimio Thessalonikis: Aristoteleio Panepistemio Thessalonikes Pharmacy GREECE
| | - Georgios Pampalakis
- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Pharmacy Pharmacy Panepistimioupolis 54124 Thessaloniki GREECE
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14
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Papineau D, She Z, Dodd MS, Iacoviello F, Slack JF, Hauri E, Shearing P, Little CTS. Metabolically diverse primordial microbial communities in Earth's oldest seafloor-hydrothermal jasper. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm2296. [PMID: 35417227 PMCID: PMC9007518 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm2296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The oldest putative fossils occur as hematite filaments and tubes in jasper-carbonate banded iron formations from the 4280- to 3750-Ma Nuvvuagittuq Supracrustal Belt, Québec. If biological in origin, these filaments might have affinities with modern descendants; however, if abiotic, they could indicate complex prebiotic forms on early Earth. Here, we report images of centimeter-size, autochthonous hematite filaments that are pectinate-branching, parallel-aligned, undulated, and containing Fe2+-oxides. These microstructures are considered microfossils because of their mineral associations and resemblance to younger microfossils, modern Fe-bacteria from hydrothermal environments, and the experimental products of heated Fe-oxidizing bacteria. Additional clusters of irregular hematite ellipsoids could reflect abiotic processes of silicification, producing similar structures and thus yielding an uncertain origin. Millimeter-sized chalcopyrite grains within the jasper-carbonate rocks have 34S- and 33S-enrichments consistent with microbial S-disproportionation and an O2-poor atmosphere. Collectively, the observations suggest a diverse microbial ecosystem on the primordial Earth that may be common on other planetary bodies, including Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic Papineau
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
- London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, UK
- Centre for Planetary Sciences, University College London & Birkbeck College London, London, UK
| | - Zhenbing She
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Matthew S. Dodd
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
| | | | - John F. Slack
- U.S. Geological Survey National Center, Reston, VA, USA
- Department of Earth Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Erik Hauri
- Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Paul Shearing
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
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15
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Dynamic diffusion and precipitation processes across calcium silicate membranes. J Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 618:206-218. [PMID: 35338927 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.03.042] [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: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Chemical gardens are tubular inorganic structures exhibiting complex morphologies and interesting dynamic properties upon ageing, with coupled diffusion and precipitation processes keeping the systems out of equilibrium for extended periods of time. Calcium-based silica gardens should comprise membranes that mimic the microstructures occurring in ordinary Portland cement and/or silicate gel layers observed around highly reactive siliceous aggregates in concrete. EXPERIMENTS Single macroscopic silica garden tubes were prepared using pellets of calcium chloride and sodium silicate solution. The composition of the mineralized tubes was characterized by means of various ex-situ techniques, while time-dependent monitoring of the solutions enclosed by and surrounding the membrane gives insight into the spatiotemporal distribution of the different ionic species. The latter data reflect transport properties and precipitation reactions in the system, thus allowing its complex dynamic behavior to be resolved. FINDINGS The results show that in contrast to the previously studied cases of iron- and cobalt-based silica gardens, the formed calcium silicate membrane is homogeneous and ultimately becomes impermeable to all species except water, hydroxide and sodium ions, resulting in the permanent conservation of considerable concentration gradients across the membrane. The insights gained in this work may help elucidate the nature and mechanisms of ion diffusion in Portland cements and concrete, especially those occurring during initial hydration of calcium silicates and the so-called alkali-silica reaction (ASR), one of the major concrete deterioration mechanisms causing serious problems with respect to the durability of concrete and the restricted use of many potential sources of raw materials.
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16
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Getenet M, Rieder J, Kellermeier M, Kunz W, Manuel García-Ruiz J. Tubular Structures of Calcium Carbonate: Formation, Characterization, and Implications in Natural Mineral Environments. Chemistry 2021; 27:16135-16144. [PMID: 34590745 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202101417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Chemical gardens are self-assembled tubular precipitates formed by a combination of osmosis, buoyancy, and chemical reaction, and thought to be capable of catalyzing prebiotic condensation reactions. In many cases, the tube wall is a bilayer structure with the properties of a diaphragm and/or a membrane. The interest in silica gardens as microreactors for materials science has increased over the past decade because of their ability to create long-lasting electrochemical potential. In this study, we have grown single macroscopic tubes based on calcium carbonate and monitored their time-dependent behavior by in situ measurements of pH, ionic concentrations inside and outside the tubular membranes, and electrochemical potential differences. Furthermore, we have characterized the composition and structure of the tubular membranes by using ex situ X-ray diffraction, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, as well as scanning electron microscopy. Based on the collected data, we propose a physicochemical mechanism for the formation and ripening of these peculiar CaCO3 structures and compare the results to those of other chemical garden systems. We find that the wall of the macroscopic calcium carbonate tubes is a bilayer of texturally distinct but compositionally similar calcite showing high crystallinity. The resulting high density of the material prevents macroscopic calcium carbonate gardens from developing significant electrochemical potential differences. In the light of these observations, possible implications in materials science and prebiotic (geo)chemistry are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melese Getenet
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC-UGR), Avenida de las Palmeras 4, Armilla, 18100, Granada, Spain
| | - Julian Rieder
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Regensburg, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Kellermeier
- Material Physics, BASF SE, RAA/OS-B007, Carl-Bosch-Strasse 38, 67056, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany
| | - Werner Kunz
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Regensburg, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Juan Manuel García-Ruiz
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC-UGR), Avenida de las Palmeras 4, Armilla, 18100, Granada, Spain
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17
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McMahon S, Ivarsson M, Wacey D, Saunders M, Belivanova V, Muirhead D, Knoll P, Steinbock O, Frost DA. Dubiofossils from a Mars-analogue subsurface palaeoenvironment: The limits of biogenicity criteria. GEOBIOLOGY 2021; 19:473-488. [PMID: 33951268 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The search for a fossil record of Earth's deep biosphere, partly motivated by potential analogies with subsurface habitats on Mars, has uncovered numerous assemblages of inorganic microfilaments and tubules inside ancient pores and fractures. Although these enigmatic objects are morphologically similar to mineralized microorganisms (and some contain organic carbon), they also resemble some abiotic structures. Palaeobiologists have responded to this ambiguity by evaluating problematic filaments against checklists of "biogenicity criteria". Here, we describe material that tests the limits of this approach. We sampled Jurassic calcite veins formed through subseafloor serpentinization, a water-rock reaction that can fuel the deep biosphere and is known to have occurred widely on Mars. At two localities ~4 km apart, veins contained curving, branched microfilaments composed of Mg-silicate and Fe-oxide minerals. Using a wide range of analytical techniques including synchrotron X-ray microtomography and scanning transmission electron microscopy, we show that these features meet many published criteria for biogenicity and are comparable to fossilized cryptoendolithic fungi or bacteria. However, we argue that abiotic processes driven by serpentinization could account for the same set of lifelike features, and report a chemical garden experiment that supports this view. These filaments are, therefore, most objectively described as dubiofossils, a designation we here defend from criticism and recommend over alternative approaches, but which nevertheless signifies an impasse. Similar impasses can be anticipated in the future exploration of subsurface palaeo-habitats on Earth and Mars. To avoid them, further studies are required in biomimetic geochemical self-organization, microbial taphonomy and micro-analytical techniques, with a focus on subsurface habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean McMahon
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- School of Geosciences, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Magnus Ivarsson
- Department of Paleobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - David Wacey
- Centre for Microscopy Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Martin Saunders
- Centre for Microscopy Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Veneta Belivanova
- Department of Paleobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - David Muirhead
- School of Geosciences, King's College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Pamela Knoll
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Oliver Steinbock
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Daniel A Frost
- Department of Earth & Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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18
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Cavalazzi B, Lemelle L, Simionovici A, Cady SL, Russell MJ, Bailo E, Canteri R, Enrico E, Manceau A, Maris A, Salomé M, Thomassot E, Bouden N, Tucoulou R, Hofmann A. Cellular remains in a ~3.42-billion-year-old subseafloor hydrothermal environment. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabf3963. [PMID: 34261651 PMCID: PMC8279515 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf3963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Subsurface habitats on Earth host an extensive extant biosphere and likely provided one of Earth's earliest microbial habitats. Although the site of life's emergence continues to be debated, evidence of early life provides insights into its early evolution and metabolic affinity. Here, we present the discovery of exceptionally well-preserved, ~3.42-billion-year-old putative filamentous microfossils that inhabited a paleo-subseafloor hydrothermal vein system of the Barberton greenstone belt in South Africa. The filaments colonized the walls of conduits created by low-temperature hydrothermal fluid. Combined with their morphological and chemical characteristics as investigated over a range of scales, they can be considered the oldest methanogens and/or methanotrophs that thrived in an ultramafic volcanic substrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Cavalazzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Alexandre Simionovici
- ISTerre, University of Grenoble-Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | - Sherry L Cady
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, EMSL, Richland, WA, USA
| | - Michael J Russell
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | | | | | - Emanuele Enrico
- INRiM, Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica, Torino, Italy
| | - Alain Manceau
- ISTerre, University of Grenoble-Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble, France
| | - Assimo Maris
- Dipartimento di Chimica "Giacomo Ciamician," Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Rémi Tucoulou
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France
| | - Axel Hofmann
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
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19
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Knoll P, D'Silva DS, Adeoye DI, Roper MG, Steinbock O. Fibrous Bundles in Biomorph Systems: Surface‐Specific Growth and Interaction with Microposts. CHEMSYSTEMSCHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/syst.202000061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Knoll
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Florida State University Tallahassee FL 32306-4390 USA
| | - Denvert S. D'Silva
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Florida State University Tallahassee FL 32306-4390 USA
| | - Damilola I. Adeoye
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Florida State University Tallahassee FL 32306-4390 USA
| | - Michael G. Roper
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Florida State University Tallahassee FL 32306-4390 USA
| | - Oliver Steinbock
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Florida State University Tallahassee FL 32306-4390 USA
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20
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Rouillard J, van Zuilen M, Pisapia C, Garcia-Ruiz JM. An Alternative Approach for Assessing Biogenicity. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:151-164. [PMID: 33544651 PMCID: PMC7876362 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The search for signs of life in the ancient rock record, extreme terrestrial environments, and other planetary bodies requires a well-established, universal, and unambiguous test of biogenicity. This is notably true for cellular remnants of microbial life, since their relatively simple morphologies resemble various abiogenic microstructures that occur in nature. Although lists of qualitative biogenicity criteria have been devised, debates regarding the biogenicity of many ancient microfossils persist to this day. We propose here an alternative quantitative approach for assessing the biogenicity of putative microfossils. In this theoretical approach, different hypotheses-involving biology or not and depending on the geologic setting-are put forward to explain the observed objects. These hypotheses correspond to specific types of microstructures/systems. Using test samples, the morphology and/or chemistry of these systems are then characterized at the scale of populations. Morphologic parameters include, for example, circularity, aspect ratio, and solidity, while chemical parameters could include elementary ratios (e.g., N/C ratio), isotopic enrichments (e.g., δ13C), or chirality (e.g., molar proportion of stereoisomers), among others. Statistic trends distinguishing the different systems are then searched for empirically. The trends found are translated into "decision spaces" where the different systems are quantitatively discriminated and where the potential microfossil population can be located as a single point. This approach, which is formulated here on a theoretical level, will solve several problems associated with the classical qualitative criteria of biogenicity. Most importantly, it could be applied to reveal the existence of cellular life on other planets, for which characteristics of morphology and chemical composition are difficult to predict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joti Rouillard
- Laboratario de Estudios Cristalograficos, Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC—Universidad de Granada, Armilla, Spain
| | - Mark van Zuilen
- Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR 7154, Paris, France
| | - Céline Pisapia
- Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR 7154, Paris, France
| | - Juan-Manuel Garcia-Ruiz
- Laboratario de Estudios Cristalograficos, Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC—Universidad de Granada, Armilla, Spain
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21
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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.
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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.)
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22
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Kotopoulou E, Lopez‐Haro M, Calvino Gamez JJ, García‐Ruiz JM. Nanoscale Anatomy of Iron-Silica Self-Organized Membranes: Implications for Prebiotic Chemistry. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:1396-1402. [PMID: 33022871 PMCID: PMC7839773 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202012059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Iron-silica self-organized membranes, so-called chemical gardens, behave as fuel cells and catalyze the formation of amino/carboxylic acids and RNA nucleobases from organics that were available on early Earth. Despite their relevance for prebiotic chemistry, little is known about their structure and mineralogy at the nanoscale. Studied here are focused ion beam milled sections of iron-silica membranes, grown from synthetic and natural, alkaline, serpentinization-derived fluids thought to be widespread on early Earth. Electron microscopy shows they comprise amorphous silica and iron nanoparticles of large surface areas and inter/intraparticle porosities. Their construction resembles that of a heterogeneous catalyst, but they can also exhibit a bilayer structure. Surface-area measurements suggest that membranes grown from natural waters have even higher catalytic potential. Considering their geochemically plausible precipitation in the early hydrothermal systems where abiotic organics were produced, iron-silica membranes might have assisted the generation and organization of the first biologically relevant organics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Electra Kotopoulou
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la TierraConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas- Universidad de GranadaAvda. de las Palmeras 418100GranadaSpain
| | - Miguel Lopez‐Haro
- Departamento de Ciencia de los Materiales e Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Química InorgánicaFacultad de CienciasUniversidad de CadizCampus Rio San PedroPuerto Real11510CádizSpain
| | - Jose Juan Calvino Gamez
- Departamento de Ciencia de los Materiales e Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Química InorgánicaFacultad de CienciasUniversidad de CadizCampus Rio San PedroPuerto Real11510CádizSpain
| | - Juan Manuel García‐Ruiz
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la TierraConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas- Universidad de GranadaAvda. de las Palmeras 418100GranadaSpain
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23
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Angelis G, Kordopati GG, Zingkou E, Karioti A, Sotiropoulou G, Pampalakis G. Plausible Emergence of Biochemistry in Enceladus Based on Chemobrionics. Chemistry 2021; 27:600-604. [PMID: 33108005 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202004018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 10/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Saturn's satellite Enceladus is proposed to have a soda-type subsurface ocean with temperature able to support life and an iron ore-based core. Here, it was demonstrated that ocean chemistry related to Enceladus can support the development of Fe-based hydrothermal vents, one of the places suggested to be the cradle of life. The Fe-based chemical gardens were characterized with Fourier-transform (FT)IR spectroscopy and XRD. The developed chemobrionic structures catalyzed the condensation polymerization of simple organic prebiotic molecules to kerogens. Further, they could passively catalyze the condensation of the prebiotic molecule formamide to larger polymers, suggesting that elementary biochemical precursors could have emerged in Enceladus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Angelis
- Department of Pharmacognosy-Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Golfo G Kordopati
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, University of Patras, 26504, Rion-Patras, Greece
| | - Eleni Zingkou
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, University of Patras, 26504, Rion-Patras, Greece
| | - Anastasia Karioti
- Department of Pharmacognosy-Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Georgia Sotiropoulou
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, University of Patras, 26504, Rion-Patras, Greece
| | - Georgios Pampalakis
- Department of Pharmacognosy-Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
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24
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Kotopoulou E, Lopez‐Haro M, Calvino Gamez JJ, García‐Ruiz JM. Nanoscale Anatomy of Iron‐Silica Self‐Organized Membranes: Implications for Prebiotic Chemistry. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202012059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Electra Kotopoulou
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas- Universidad de Granada Avda. de las Palmeras 4 18100 Granada Spain
| | - Miguel Lopez‐Haro
- Departamento de Ciencia de los Materiales e Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Química Inorgánica Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de Cadiz Campus Rio San Pedro Puerto Real 11510 Cádiz Spain
| | - Jose Juan Calvino Gamez
- Departamento de Ciencia de los Materiales e Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Química Inorgánica Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de Cadiz Campus Rio San Pedro Puerto Real 11510 Cádiz Spain
| | - Juan Manuel García‐Ruiz
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas- Universidad de Granada Avda. de las Palmeras 4 18100 Granada Spain
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25
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Mineral Vesicles and Chemical Gardens from Carbonate-Rich Alkaline Brines of Lake Magadi, Kenya. CRYSTALS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/cryst10060467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Mineral vesicles and chemical gardens are self-organized biomimetic structures that form via abiotic mineral precipitation. These membranous structures are known to catalyze prebiotic reactions but the extreme conditions required for their synthesis has cast doubts on their formation in nature. Apart from model solutions, these structures have been shown to form in serpentinization-driven natural silica-rich water and by fluid-rock interaction of model alkaline solutions with granites. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate that self-assembled hollow mineral vesicles and gardens can be synthesized in natural carbonate-rich soda lake water. We have synthesized these structures by a) pouring saturated metal salt solutions, and b) by immersing metal salt pellets in brines collected from Lake Magadi (Kenya). The resulting structures are analyzed by using SEM coupled with EDX analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction. Our results suggest that mineral self-assembly could have been a common phenomenon in soda oceans of early Earth and Earth-like planets and moons. The composition of the obtained vesicles and gardens confirms the recent observation that carbonate minerals in soda lakes sequestrate Ca, thus leaving phosphate behind in solution available for biochemical reactions. Our results strengthens the proposal that alkaline brines could be ideal sites for “one-pot” synthesis of prebiotic organic compounds and the origin of life.
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26
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Cintas P. Chasing Synthetic Life: A Tale of Forms, Chemical Fossils, and Biomorphs. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:7296-7304. [PMID: 32049403 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201915853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
This Essay focuses briefly on early studies elaborated by natural and chemical philosophers, and the once-called synthetic biologists, who postulated the transition from inanimate to animate matter and even foresaw the possibility of creating artificial life on the basis of physical and chemical principles only. Such ideas and speculations, ranging from soundness to weirdness, paved however the way to current developments in areas like abiotic pattern formation, cell compartmentalization, biomineralization, or the origin of life itself. In particular, the generation of biomorphs and their relationship to microfossils represents an active research domain and seems to be the logical way to bring the historical work up to the future, as some scientists are trying to make artificial cells. The last sections of this essay will also highlight modern science aimed at understanding what life is and, whether or not, it can be redefined in chemical terms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Cintas
- Dpto. Química Orgánica e Inorgánica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Extremadura, 06006, Badajoz, Spain
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27
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Rouillard J, García-Ruiz JM, Kah L, Gérard E, Barrier L, Nabhan S, Gong J, van Zuilen MA. Identifying microbial life in rocks: Insights from population morphometry. GEOBIOLOGY 2020; 18:282-305. [PMID: 31876987 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The identification of cellular life in the rock record is problematic, since microbial life forms, and particularly bacteria, lack sufficient morphologic complexity to be effectively distinguished from certain abiogenic features in rocks. Examples include organic pore-fillings, hydrocarbon-containing fluid inclusions, organic coatings on exfoliated crystals and biomimetic mineral aggregates (biomorphs). This has led to the interpretation and re-interpretation of individual microstructures in the rock record. The morphologic description of entire populations of microstructures, however, may provide support for distinguishing between preserved micro-organisms and abiogenic objects. Here, we present a statistical approach based on quantitative morphological description of populations of microstructures. Images of modern microbial populations were compared to images of two relevant types of abiogenic microstructures: interstitial spaces and silica-carbonate biomorphs. For the populations of these three systems, the size, circularity, and solidity of individual particles were calculated. Subsequently, the mean/SD, skewness, and kurtosis of the statistical distributions of these parameters were established. This allowed the qualitative and quantitative comparison of distributions in these three systems. In addition, the fractal dimension and lacunarity of the populations were determined. In total, 11 parameters, independent of absolute size or shape, were used to characterize each population of microstructures. Using discriminant analysis with parameter subsets, it was found that size and shape distributions are typically sufficient to discriminate populations of biologic and abiogenic microstructures. Analysis of ancient, yet unambiguously biologic, samples (1.0 Ga Angmaat Formation, Baffin Island, Canada) suggests that taphonomic effects can alter morphometric characteristics and complicate image analysis; therefore, a wider range of microfossil assemblages should be studied in the future before automated analyses can be developed. In general, however, it is clear from our results that there is great potential for morphometric descriptions of populations in the context of life recognition in rocks, either on Earth or on extraterrestrial bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joti Rouillard
- Equipe Géomicrobiologie, Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Juan Manuel García-Ruiz
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, Consejo Superior de Investígacìones Cientificas-Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Linda Kah
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Emmanuelle Gérard
- Equipe Géomicrobiologie, Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Laurie Barrier
- Equipe Tectonique et Mécanique de la Lithosphère, Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Sami Nabhan
- Equipe Géomicrobiologie, Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Jian Gong
- Equipe Géomicrobiologie, Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Mark A van Zuilen
- Equipe Géomicrobiologie, Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France
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28
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Angelis
- Department of Pharmacognosy-PharmacologySchool of PharmacyAristotle University of Thessaloniki 54124 Thessaloniki Greece
| | - Georgios Pampalakis
- Department of Pharmacognosy-PharmacologySchool of PharmacyAristotle University of Thessaloniki 54124 Thessaloniki Greece
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29
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Cintas P. Chasing Synthetic Life: A Tale of Forms, Chemical Fossils, and Biomorphs. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201915853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Cintas
- Dpto. Química Orgánica e InorgánicaFacultad de CienciasUniversidad de Extremadura 06006 Badajoz Spain
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30
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García-Ruiz JM, van Zuilen MA, Bach W. Mineral self-organization on a lifeless planet. Phys Life Rev 2020; 34-35:62-82. [PMID: 32303465 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2020.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
It has been experimentally demonstrated that, under alkaline conditions, silica is able to induce the formation of mineral self-assembled inorganic-inorganic composite materials similar in morphology, texture and nanostructure to the hybrid biomineral structures that, millions of years later, life was able to self-organize. These mineral self-organized structures (MISOS) have been also shown to work as effective catalysts for prebiotic chemical reactions and to easily create compartmentalization within the solutions where they form. We reason that, during the very earliest history of this planet, there was a geochemical scenario that inevitably led to the existence of a large-scale factory of simple and complex organic compounds, many of which were relevant to prebiotic chemistry. The factory was built on a silica-rich high-pH ocean and powered by two main factors: a) a quasi-infinite source of simple carbon molecules synthesized abiotically from reactions associated with serpentinization, or transported from meteorites and produced from their impact on that alkaline ocean, and b) the formation of self-organized silica-metal mineral composites that catalyze the condensation of simple molecules in a methane-rich reduced atmosphere. We discuss the plausibility of this geochemical scenario, review the details of the formation of MISOS and its catalytic properties and the transition towards a slightly alkaline to neutral ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Manuel García-Ruiz
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-Universidad de Granada, Av. de las Palmeras 4, Armilla (Granada), Spain.
| | - Mark A van Zuilen
- Equipe Géomicrobiologie, Université de Paris, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, F-75005 Paris, France.
| | - Wolfgang Bach
- Geoscience Department and MARUM, University of Bremen, Klagenfurter Str. 2, 28359 Bremen, Germany.
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31
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Johannessen KC, McLoughlin N, Vullum PE, Thorseth IH. On the biogenicity of Fe-oxyhydroxide filaments in silicified low-temperature hydrothermal deposits: Implications for the identification of Fe-oxidizing bacteria in the rock record. GEOBIOLOGY 2020; 18:31-53. [PMID: 31532578 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Revised: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/31/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Microaerophilic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria produce biomineralized twisted and branched stalks, which are promising biosignatures of microbial Fe oxidation in ancient jaspers and iron formations. Extracellular Fe stalks retain their morphological characteristics under experimentally elevated temperatures, but the extent to which natural post-depositional processes affect fossil integrity remains to be resolved. We examined siliceous Fe deposits from laminated mounds and chimney structures from an extinct part of the Jan Mayen Vent Fields on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge. Our aims were to determine how early seafloor diagenesis affects morphological and chemical signatures of Fe-oxyhydroxide biomineralization and how extracellular stalks differ from abiogenic features. Optical and scanning electron microscopy in combination with focused ion beam-transmission electron microscopy (FIB-TEM) was used to study the filamentous textures and cross sections of individual stalks. Our results revealed directional, dendritic, and radial arrangements of biogenic twisted stalks and randomly organized networks of hollow tubes. Stalks were encrusted by concentric Fe-oxyhydroxide laminae and silica casings. Element maps produced by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) in TEM showed variations in the content of Si, P, and S within filaments, demonstrating that successive hydrothermal fluid pulses mediate early diagenetic alteration and modify the chemical composition and surface features of stalks through Fe-oxyhydroxide mineralization. The carbon content of the stalks was generally indistinguishable from background levels, suggesting that organic compounds were either scarce initially or lost due to percolating hydrothermal fluids. Dendrites and thicker abiotic filaments from a nearby chimney were composed of nanometer-sized microcrystalline iron particles and silica and showed Fe growth bands indicative of inorganic precipitation. Our study suggests that the identification of fossil stalks and sheaths of Fe-oxidizing bacteria in hydrothermal paleoenvironments may not rely on the detection of organic carbon and demonstrates that abiogenic filaments differ from stalks and sheaths of Fe-oxidizing bacteria with respect to width distribution, ultrastructure, and textural context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen C Johannessen
- K. G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research and Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Nicola McLoughlin
- Department of Geology and the Albany Museum, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Per Erik Vullum
- Department of Materials and Nanotechnology, SINTEF Industry, Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Physics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Ingunn H Thorseth
- K. G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research and Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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32
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McMahon S. Earth's earliest and deepest purported fossils may be iron-mineralized chemical gardens. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20192410. [PMID: 31771469 PMCID: PMC6939263 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Recognizing fossil microorganisms is essential to the study of life's origin and evolution and to the ongoing search for life on Mars. Purported fossil microbes in ancient rocks include common assemblages of iron-mineral filaments and tubes. Recently, such assemblages have been interpreted to represent Earth's oldest body fossils, Earth's oldest fossil fungi, and Earth's best analogues for fossils that might form in the basaltic Martian subsurface. Many of these putative fossils exhibit hollow circular cross-sections, lifelike (non-crystallographic, constant-thickness, and bifurcate) branching, anastomosis, nestedness within ‘sheaths’, and other features interpreted as strong evidence for a biological origin, since no abiotic process consistent with the composition of the filaments has been shown to produce these specific lifelike features either in nature or in the laboratory. Here, I show experimentally that abiotic chemical gardening can mimic such purported fossils in both morphology and composition. In particular, chemical gardens meet morphological criteria previously proposed to establish biogenicity, while also producing the precursors to the iron minerals most commonly constitutive of filaments in the rock record. Chemical gardening is likely to occur in nature. Such microstructures should therefore not be assumed to represent fossil microbes without independent corroborating evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean McMahon
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK.,School of Geosciences, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, James Hutton Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FE, UK
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33
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Wang Q, Hernesman KS, Steinbock O. Flow‐Driven Precipitation Patterns with Microemulsions in a Confined Geometry. CHEMSYSTEMSCHEM 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/syst.201900037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Qingpu Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4390 USA
| | - Keeley S. Hernesman
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4390 USA
| | - Oliver Steinbock
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4390 USA
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34
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Strong mineralization ability of strontium zinc silicate: Formation of a continuous biomorphic mineralized layer with enhanced osteogenic activity. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2019; 176:420-430. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2019.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Revised: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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35
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Mihali V, Honciuc A. Evolution of Self-Organized Microcapsules with Variable Conductivities from Self-Assembled Nanoparticles at Interfaces. ACS NANO 2019; 13:3483-3491. [PMID: 30862162 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b09625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Self-organization dramatically affects the surface properties of materials on a macroscopic scale, such as wettability and adhesion. Fundamentally, it is equally interesting when self-organization at the nanoscale affects the bulk properties and thus provides a means to engineer the optoelectronic properties of the materials on larger scales. In this work, we report the evolution of conductive self-organized polymer microcapsules from a monomer emulsion droplet stabilized by a monolayer of conductive Janus nanoparticles (JNPs) via a mechanism resembling morphogenesis. The wall of the resulting conductive microcapsule has a honeycomb-like structure with highly oriented JNPs occupying each hollow cell. The JNPs consist of an electrically conductive lobe and an insulating lobe; because of their orientation and presence in the honeycomb, the conductivity of the microcapsule is greatly enhanced as compared to that of each of the constituting materials. This method can be universally applied to induce self-organization in conductive polymers forming by oxidative addition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Voichita Mihali
- Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology , Zurich University of Applied Sciences , Einsiedlerstrasse 31 , 8820 Waedenswil , Switzerland
| | - Andrei Honciuc
- Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology , Zurich University of Applied Sciences , Einsiedlerstrasse 31 , 8820 Waedenswil , Switzerland
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36
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Saladino R, Di Mauro E, García‐Ruiz JM. A Universal Geochemical Scenario for Formamide Condensation and Prebiotic Chemistry. Chemistry 2019; 25:3181-3189. [PMID: 30230056 PMCID: PMC6470889 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201803889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Revised: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The condensation of formamide has been shown to be a robust chemical pathway affording molecules necessary for the origin of life. It has been experimentally demonstrated that condensation reactions of formamide are catalyzed by a number of minerals, including silicates, phosphates, sulfides, zirconia, and borates, and by cosmic dusts and meteorites. However, a critical discussion of the catalytic power of the tested minerals, and the geochemical conditions under which the condensation would occur, is still missing. We show here that mineral self-assembled structures forming under alkaline silica-rich solutions are excellent catalysts for the condensation of formamide with respect to other minerals. We also propose that these structures were likely forming as early as 4.4 billion years ago when the whole earth surface was a reactor, a global scale factory, releasing large amounts of organic compounds. Our experimental results suggest that the conditions required for the synthesis of the molecular bricks from which life self-assembles, rather than being local and bizarre, appears to be universal and geologically rather conventional.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Saladino
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ecologiche e BiologicheUniversità della TusciaVia San Camillo De Lellis01100ViterboItaly
| | - Ernesto Di Mauro
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ecologiche e BiologicheUniversità della TusciaVia San Camillo De Lellis01100ViterboItaly
| | - Juan Manuel García‐Ruiz
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos, Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la TierraCSIC-Universidad de GranadaAv. De las Palmeras 4ArmillaGranadaSpain
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37
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Mattia Bizzarri B, Botta L, Pérez-Valverde MI, Saladino R, Di Mauro E, García-Ruiz JM. Silica Metal Oxide Vesicles Catalyze Comprehensive Prebiotic Chemistry. Chemistry 2018; 24:8126-8132. [PMID: 29603465 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201706162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
It has recently been demonstrated that mineral self-assembled structures catalyzing prebiotic chemical reactions may form in natural waters derived from serpentinization, a geological process widespread in the early stages of Earth-like planets. We have synthesized self-assembled membranes by mixing microdrops of metal solutions with alkaline silicate solutions in the presence of formamide (NH2 CHO), a single-carbon molecule, at 80 °C. We found that these bilayer membranes, made of amorphous silica and metal oxide/hydroxide nanocrystals, catalyze the condensation of formamide, yielding the four nucleobases of RNA, three amino acids and, several carboxylic acids in a single-pot experiment. Besides manganese, iron and magnesium, two abundant elements in the earliest Earth crust that are key in serpentinization reactions, are enough to produce all these biochemical compounds. These results suggest that the transition from inorganic geochemistry to prebiotic organic chemistry is common on a universal scale and, most probably, occurred earlier than ever thought for our planet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Mattia Bizzarri
- Ecological and Biological Sciences Department (DEB), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Botta
- Ecological and Biological Sciences Department (DEB), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Maritza Iveth Pérez-Valverde
- 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, Granada, 18100, Spain
| | - Raffaele Saladino
- Ecological and Biological Sciences Department (DEB), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Ernesto Di Mauro
- Ecological and Biological Sciences Department (DEB), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
| | - 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, Granada, 18100, Spain
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38
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Rouillard J, García‐Ruiz J, Gong J, van Zuilen MA. A morphogram for silica-witherite biomorphs and its application to microfossil identification in the early earth rock record. GEOBIOLOGY 2018; 16:279-296. [PMID: 29485245 PMCID: PMC5947568 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Archean hydrothermal environments formed a likely site for the origin and early evolution of life. These are also the settings, however, were complex abiologic structures can form. Low-temperature serpentinization of ultramafic crust can generate alkaline, silica-saturated fluids in which carbonate-silica crystalline aggregates with life-like morphologies can self-assemble. These "biomorphs" could have adsorbed hydrocarbons from Fischer-Tropsch type synthesis processes, leading to metamorphosed structures that resemble carbonaceous microfossils. Although this abiogenic process has been extensively cited in the literature and has generated important controversy, so far only one specific biomorph type with a filamentous shape has been discussed for the interpretation of Archean microfossils. It is therefore critical to precisely determine the full distribution in morphology and size of these biomorphs, and to study the range of plausible geochemical conditions under which these microstructures can form. Here, a set of witherite-silica biomorph synthesis experiments in silica-saturated solutions is presented, for a range of pH values (from 9 to 11.5) and barium ion concentrations (from 0.6 to 40 mmol/L BaCl2 ). Under these varying conditions, a wide range of life-like structures is found, from fractal dendrites to complex shapes with continuous curvature. The size, spatial concentration, and morphology of the biomorphs are strongly controlled by environmental parameters, among which pH is the most important. This potentially limits the diversity of environments in which the growth of biomorphs could have occurred on Early Earth. Given the variety of the observed biomorph morphologies, our results show that the morphology of an individual microstructure is a poor criterion for biogenicity. However, biomorphs may be distinguished from actual populations of cellular microfossils by their wide, unimodal size distribution. Biomorphs grown by diffusion in silica gel can be differentiated by their continuous gradient in size, spatial density, and morphology along the direction of diffusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Rouillard
- Equipe GéomicrobiologieInstitut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Sorbonne Paris CitéUniversité Paris Diderot, UMR 7154, CNRSParisFrance
| | - J.‐M. García‐Ruiz
- Laboratorio de Estudios CristalográficosInstituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la TierraConsejo Superior de Investígacìones Cientificas–Universidad de GranadaGranadaSpain
| | - J. Gong
- Equipe GéomicrobiologieInstitut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Sorbonne Paris CitéUniversité Paris Diderot, UMR 7154, CNRSParisFrance
| | - M. A. van Zuilen
- Equipe GéomicrobiologieInstitut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Sorbonne Paris CitéUniversité Paris Diderot, UMR 7154, CNRSParisFrance
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39
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40
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Muscente AD, Czaja AD, Tuggle J, Winkler C, Xiao S. Manganese Oxides Resembling Microbial Fabrics and Their Implications for Recognizing Inorganically Preserved Microfossils. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:249-258. [PMID: 29570411 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In the search for microfossils of early life on Earth, the demonstration of biogenicity is paramount. Traditionally, only syngenetic structures with cellular elaboration, hollow sheaths/cell walls, and indigenous kerogen have been considered bona fide fossils. Recent reports of inorganically preserved microfossils represent a shift from this practice. Such a shift, if accompanied by a robust set of biogenicity criteria, could have profound implications for the identification of biosignatures on early Earth and extraterrestrial bodies. Here, we reaffirm the conventional criteria by examining aggregates of inorganic filaments from the Pilbara region of Western Australia. These aggregates are preserved in bedded chert, and the filaments measure up to 1 μm in diameter and 100 μm in length. The aggregates superficially resemble kerogenous microbial fabrics and mycelial organisms. However, the filaments consist of manganese oxide, lack cellular elaboration, and show no evidence for hollow sheaths or cell walls. We conclude that the filaments are fibrous minerals of abiotic origin. The similarities between these pseudofossils and some filamentous fossils highlight the need for strict application of the conventional criteria for recognizing microfossils. In the absence of kerogen, morphologically simple structures should, at least, show evidence of cellular features to be considered bona fide fossils. Key Words: Fossil-Manganese oxide-Pilbara-Precambrian-Pseudofossil. Astrobiology 18, 249-258.
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Affiliation(s)
- A D Muscente
- 1 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard , Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Andrew D Czaja
- 2 Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati , Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - James Tuggle
- 3 Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Laboratory, Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science , Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Christopher Winkler
- 3 Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Laboratory, Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science , Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Shuhai Xiao
- 4 Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech , Blacksburg, Virginia
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