1
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Jiang HJ, Underwood TC, Bell JG, Lei J, Gonzales JC, Emge L, Tadese LG, Abd El-Rahman MK, Wilmouth DM, Brazaca LC, Ni G, Belding L, Dey S, Ashkarran AA, Nagarkar A, Nemitz MP, Cafferty BJ, Sayres DS, Ranjan S, Crocker DR, Anderson JG, Sasselov DD, Whitesides GM. Mimicking lightning-induced electrochemistry on the early Earth. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2400819121. [PMID: 39074283 PMCID: PMC11317556 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2400819121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024] Open
Abstract
To test the hypothesis that an abiotic Earth and its inert atmosphere could form chemically reactive carbon- and nitrogen-containing compounds, we designed a plasma electrochemical setup to mimic lightning-induced electrochemistry under steady-state conditions of the early Earth. Air-gap electrochemical reactions at air-water-ground interfaces lead to remarkable yields, with up to 40 moles of carbon dioxide being reduced into carbon monoxide and formic acid, and 3 moles of gaseous nitrogen being fixed into nitrate, nitrite, and ammonium ions, per mole of transmitted electrons. Interfaces enable reactants (e.g., minerals) that may have been on land, in lakes, and in oceans to participate in radical and redox reactions, leading to higher yields compared to gas-phase-only reactions. Cloud-to-ground lightning strikes could have generated high concentrations of reactive molecules locally, establishing diverse feedstocks for early life to emerge and survive globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haihui Joy Jiang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
- Department of Astronomy, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Thomas C. Underwood
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
- Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX78705
| | - Jeffrey G. Bell
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Jonathan Lei
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Joe C. Gonzales
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Lukas Emge
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Leah G. Tadese
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | | | - David M. Wilmouth
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Lais C. Brazaca
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Gigi Ni
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Lee Belding
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Supriya Dey
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Ali Akbar Ashkarran
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Amit Nagarkar
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Markus P. Nemitz
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Brian J. Cafferty
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - David S. Sayres
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Sukrit Ranjan
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ85721
- Department of Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ85721
| | - Daniel R. Crocker
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - James G. Anderson
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | | | - George M. Whitesides
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
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2
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Lingam M, Nichols R, Balbi A. A Bayesian Analysis of the Probability of the Origin of Life Per Site Conducive to Abiogenesis. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:813-823. [PMID: 39159441 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2024.0037] [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: 08/21/2024]
Abstract
The emergence of life from nonlife, or abiogenesis, remains a fundamental question in scientific inquiry. In this article, we investigate the probability of the origin of life (per conducive site) by leveraging insights from Earth's environments. If life originated endogenously on Earth, its existence is indeed endowed with informative value, although the interpretation of the attendant significance hinges critically upon prior assumptions. By adopting a Bayesian framework, for an agnostic prior, we establish a direct connection between the number of potential locations for abiogenesis on Earth and the probability of life's emergence per site. Our findings suggest that constraints on the availability of suitable environments for the origin(s) of life on Earth may offer valuable insights into the probability of abiogenesis and the frequency of life in the universe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manasvi Lingam
- Department of Aerospace, Physics and Space Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida, USA
- Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Ruth Nichols
- Department of Aerospace, Physics and Space Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida, USA
| | - Amedeo Balbi
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma "Tor Vergata," Roma, Italy
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3
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Zhang Z, Howlett MG, Silvester E, Kukura P, Fletcher SP. A Chemical Reaction Network Drives Complex Population Dynamics in Oscillating Self-Reproducing Vesicles. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:18262-18269. [PMID: 38917079 PMCID: PMC11240260 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c00860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
We report chemically fueled oscillations of vesicles. The population cycling of vesicles is driven by their self-reproduction and collapse within a biphasic reaction network involving the interplay of molecular and supramolecular events. We studied the oscillations on the molecular and supramolecular scales and tracked vesicle populations in time by interferometric scattering microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Complex supramolecular events were observed during oscillations─including vesicle reproduction, growth, and decomposition─and differences in the number, size, and mass of aggregates can often be observed within and between pulses. This system's dynamic behavior is reminiscent of a reproductive cycle in living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiheng Zhang
- Chemistry
Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, U.K.
| | - Michael G. Howlett
- Chemistry
Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, U.K.
| | - Emma Silvester
- The
Kavli Institute for NanoScience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K.
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K.
| | - Philipp Kukura
- The
Kavli Institute for NanoScience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K.
- Physical
and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, U.K.
| | - Stephen P. Fletcher
- Chemistry
Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, U.K.
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4
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Knížek A, Petera L, Laitl V, Ferus M. Decomposition of HCN during Experimental Impacts in Dry and Wet Planetary Atmospheres. ACS EARTH & SPACE CHEMISTRY 2024; 8:1246-1258. [PMID: 38919854 PMCID: PMC11195306 DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.4c00064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Hydrogen cyanide (HCN), a key molecule of significant importance in contemporary perspectives on prebiotic chemistry, originates in planetary atmospheres from various processes, such as photochemistry, thermochemistry, and impact chemistry, as well as from delivery by impacts. The resilience of HCN during periods of heavy bombardment, a phenomenon caused by an influx of material on unstable trajectories after accretion, remains relatively understudied. This study extensively investigates the stability of HCN under impact conditions simulated using a laboratory Nd:YAG laser in the ELISE experimental setup. High-resolution infrared spectroscopy was employed to monitor the gas phase composition during these simulations. Impact chemistry was simulated in bulk nitrogen atmospheres with varying mixing ratios of HCN and water vapor. The probed range of compositions spans from ∼0 to 1.8% of HCN and 0 to 2.7% of H2O in a ∼1 bar nitrogen atmosphere. The primary decomposition products of HCN are CO and CO2 in the presence of water and unidentified solid phase products in dry conditions. Our experiments revealed a range of initial HCN decomposition rates between 2.43 × 1015 and 5.17 × 1017 molec J-1 of input energy depending on the initial composition. Notably, it is shown that the decomposition process induced by the laser spark simulating the impact plasma is nonlinear, with the duration of the irradiation markedly affecting the decomposition rate. These findings underscore the necessity for careful consideration and allowance for margins when applying these rates to chemical models of molecular synthesis and decomposition in planetary atmospheres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonín Knížek
- J.Heyrovský
Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy
of Sciences, Dolejškova
2155/3, CZ18223 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Petera
- J.Heyrovský
Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy
of Sciences, Dolejškova
2155/3, CZ18223 Prague, Czech Republic
- Department
of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Hlavova 8, CZ12800 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtěch Laitl
- J.Heyrovský
Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy
of Sciences, Dolejškova
2155/3, CZ18223 Prague, Czech Republic
- Faculty
of Science, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, BE2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Martin Ferus
- J.Heyrovský
Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy
of Sciences, Dolejškova
2155/3, CZ18223 Prague, Czech Republic
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5
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Fifer LM, Wong ML. Quantifying the Potential for Nitrate-Dependent Iron Oxidation on Early Mars: Implications for the Interpretation of Gale Crater Organics. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:590-603. [PMID: 38805190 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0109] [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: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Geological evidence and atmospheric and climate models suggest habitable conditions occurred on early Mars, including in a lake in Gale crater. Instruments aboard the Curiosity rover measured organic compounds of unknown provenance in sedimentary mudstones at Gale crater. Additionally, Curiosity measured nitrates in Gale crater sediments, which suggests that nitrate-dependent Fe2+ oxidation (NDFO) may have been a viable metabolism for putative martian life. Here, we perform the first quantitative assessment of an NDFO community that could have existed in an ancient Gale crater lake and quantify the long-term preservation of biological necromass in lakebed mudstones. We find that an NDFO community would have the capacity to produce cell concentrations of up to 106 cells mL-1, which is comparable to microbes in Earth's oceans. However, only a concentration of <104 cells mL-1, due to organisms that inefficiently consume less than 10% of precipitating nitrate, would be consistent with the abundance of organics found at Gale. We also find that meteoritic sources of organics would likely be insufficient as a sole source for the Gale crater organics, which would require a separate source, such as abiotic hydrothermal or atmospheric production or possibly biological production from a slowly turning over chemotrophic community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas M Fifer
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Michael L Wong
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC, USA
- NHFP Sagan Fellow, NASA Hubble Fellowship Program, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- NASA Nexus for Exoplanet System Science, Virtual Planetary Laboratory Team, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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6
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Nitschke W, Farr O, Gaudu N, Truong C, Guyot F, Russell MJ, Duval S. The Winding Road from Origin to Emergence (of Life). Life (Basel) 2024; 14:607. [PMID: 38792628 PMCID: PMC11123232 DOI: 10.3390/life14050607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Humanity's strive to understand why and how life appeared on planet Earth dates back to prehistoric times. At the beginning of the 19th century, empirical biology started to tackle this question yielding both Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution and the paradigm that the crucial trigger putting life on its tracks was the appearance of organic molecules. In parallel to these developments in the biological sciences, physics and physical chemistry saw the fundamental laws of thermodynamics being unraveled. Towards the end of the 19th century and during the first half of the 20th century, the tensions between thermodynamics and the "organic-molecules-paradigm" became increasingly difficult to ignore, culminating in Erwin Schrödinger's 1944 formulation of a thermodynamics-compliant vision of life and, consequently, the prerequisites for its appearance. We will first review the major milestones over the last 200 years in the biological and the physical sciences, relevant to making sense of life and its origins and then discuss the more recent reappraisal of the relative importance of metal ions vs. organic molecules in performing the essential processes of a living cell. Based on this reassessment and the modern understanding of biological free energy conversion (aka bioenergetics), we consider that scenarios wherein life emerges from an abiotic chemiosmotic process are both thermodynamics-compliant and the most parsimonious proposed so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Nitschke
- BIP (UMR 7281), CNRS, Aix-Marseille-University, 13009 Marseille, France; (O.F.); (N.G.); (C.T.); (S.D.)
| | - Orion Farr
- BIP (UMR 7281), CNRS, Aix-Marseille-University, 13009 Marseille, France; (O.F.); (N.G.); (C.T.); (S.D.)
- CINaM, CNRS, Aix-Marseille-University, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Nil Gaudu
- BIP (UMR 7281), CNRS, Aix-Marseille-University, 13009 Marseille, France; (O.F.); (N.G.); (C.T.); (S.D.)
| | - Chloé Truong
- BIP (UMR 7281), CNRS, Aix-Marseille-University, 13009 Marseille, France; (O.F.); (N.G.); (C.T.); (S.D.)
| | - François Guyot
- IMPMC (UMR 7590), CNRS, Sorbonne University, 75005 Paris, France;
| | - Michael J. Russell
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Torino, 10124 Torino, Italy;
| | - Simon Duval
- BIP (UMR 7281), CNRS, Aix-Marseille-University, 13009 Marseille, France; (O.F.); (N.G.); (C.T.); (S.D.)
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7
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Rimmer PB, Shorttle O. A Surface Hydrothermal Source of Nitriles and Isonitriles. Life (Basel) 2024; 14:498. [PMID: 38672768 PMCID: PMC11051382 DOI: 10.3390/life14040498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Giant impacts can generate transient hydrogen-rich atmospheres, reducing atmospheric carbon. The reduced carbon will form hazes that rain out onto the surface and can become incorporated into the crust. Once heated, a large fraction of the carbon is converted into graphite. The result is that local regions of the Hadean crust were plausibly saturated with graphite. We explore the consequences of such a crust for a prebiotic surface hydrothermal vent scenario. We model a surface vent fed by nitrogen-rich volcanic gas from high-temperature magmas passing through graphite-saturated crust. We consider this occurring at pressures of 1-1000bar and temperatures of 1500-1700 ∘C. The equilibrium with graphite purifies the leftover gas, resulting in substantial quantities of nitriles (0.1% HCN and 1ppm HC3N) and isonitriles (0.01% HNC) relevant for prebiotic chemistry. We use these results to predict gas-phase concentrations of methyl isocyanide of ∼1 ppm. Methyl isocyanide can participate in the non-enzymatic activation and ligation of the monomeric building blocks of life, and surface or shallow hydrothermal environments provide its only known equilibrium geochemical source.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul B. Rimmer
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Ave, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
| | - Oliver Shorttle
- Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
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8
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Brabender M, Henriques Pereira DP, Mrnjavac N, Schlikker ML, Kimura ZI, Sucharitakul J, Kleinermanns K, Tüysüz H, Buckel W, Preiner M, Martin WF. Ferredoxin reduction by hydrogen with iron functions as an evolutionary precursor of flavin-based electron bifurcation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2318969121. [PMID: 38513105 PMCID: PMC7615787 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2318969121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Autotrophic theories for the origin of metabolism posit that the first cells satisfied their carbon needs from CO2 and were chemolithoautotrophs that obtained their energy and electrons from H2. The acetyl-CoA pathway of CO2 fixation is central to that view because of its antiquity: Among known CO2 fixing pathways it is the only one that is i) exergonic, ii) occurs in both bacteria and archaea, and iii) can be functionally replaced in full by single transition metal catalysts in vitro. In order to operate in cells at a pH close to 7, however, the acetyl-CoA pathway requires complex multi-enzyme systems capable of flavin-based electron bifurcation that reduce low potential ferredoxin-the physiological donor of electrons in the acetyl-CoA pathway-with electrons from H2. How can the acetyl-CoA pathway be primordial if it requires flavin-based electron bifurcation? Here, we show that native iron (Fe0), but not Ni0, Co0, Mo0, NiFe, Ni2Fe, Ni3Fe, or Fe3O4, promotes the H2-dependent reduction of aqueous Clostridium pasteurianum ferredoxin at pH 8.5 or higher within a few hours at 40 °C, providing the physiological function of flavin-based electron bifurcation, but without the help of enzymes or organic redox cofactors. H2-dependent ferredoxin reduction by iron ties primordial ferredoxin reduction and early metabolic evolution to a chemical process in the Earth's crust promoted by solid-state iron, a metal that is still deposited in serpentinizing hydrothermal vents today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Brabender
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf40225, Germany
| | - Delfina P. Henriques Pereira
- Microcosm Earth Center, Research Group for Geochemical Protozymes, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and Philipps University, Marburg35032, Germany
| | - Natalia Mrnjavac
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf40225, Germany
| | - Manon Laura Schlikker
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf40225, Germany
| | - Zen-Ichiro Kimura
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf40225, Germany
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Kure College, Kure, Hiroshima737-8506, Japan
| | - Jeerus Sucharitakul
- Department of Biochemistry, Chulalongkorn University, Patumwan, Bangkok10330, Thailand
| | - Karl Kleinermanns
- Institute for Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf40225, Germany
| | - Harun Tüysüz
- Max Planck Institute for Coal Research, Department of Heterogeneous Catalysis, Mülheim an der Ruhr45470, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Buckel
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg35043, Germany
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps University, Marburg35043, Germany
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology SYNMIKRO, Philipps University, Marburg35043, Germany
| | - Martina Preiner
- Microcosm Earth Center, Research Group for Geochemical Protozymes, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and Philipps University, Marburg35032, Germany
| | - William F. Martin
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf40225, Germany
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9
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Rodriguez LE, Altair T, Hermis NY, Jia TZ, Roche TP, Steller LH, Weber JM. Chapter 4: A Geological and Chemical Context for the Origins of Life on Early Earth. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:S76-S106. [PMID: 38498817 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0139] [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: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Within the first billion years of Earth's history, the planet transformed from a hot, barren, and inhospitable landscape to an environment conducive to the emergence and persistence of life. This chapter will review the state of knowledge concerning early Earth's (Hadean/Eoarchean) geochemical environment, including the origin and composition of the planet's moon, crust, oceans, atmosphere, and organic content. It will also discuss abiotic geochemical cycling of the CHONPS elements and how these species could have been converted to biologically relevant building blocks, polymers, and chemical networks. Proposed environments for abiogenesis events are also described and evaluated. An understanding of the geochemical processes under which life may have emerged can better inform our assessment of the habitability of other worlds, the potential complexity that abiotic chemistry can achieve (which has implications for putative biosignatures), and the possibility for biochemistries that are vastly different from those on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Rodriguez
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, Houston, Texas, USA. (Current)
| | - Thiago Altair
- Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
- Department of Chemistry, College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA. (Current)
| | - Ninos Y Hermis
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Department of Physics and Space Sciences, University of Granada, Granada Spain. (Current)
| | - Tony Z Jia
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Tyler P Roche
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Luke H Steller
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia
| | - Jessica M Weber
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
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10
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Schaible MJ, Todd ZR, Cangi EM, Harman CE, Hughson KHG, Stelmach K. Chapter 3: The Origins and Evolution of Planetary Systems. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:S57-S75. [PMID: 38498821 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0127] [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: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
The materials that form the diverse chemicals and structures on Earth-from mountains to oceans and biological organisms-all originated in a universe dominated by hydrogen and helium. Over billions of years, the composition and structure of the galaxies and stars evolved, and the elements of life, CHONPS, were formed through nucleosynthesis in stellar cores. Climactic events such as supernovae and stellar collisions produced heavier elements and spread them throughout the cosmos, often to be incorporated into new, more metal-rich stars. Stars typically form in molecular clouds containing small amounts of dust through the collapse of a high-density core. The surrounding nebular material is then pulled into a protoplanetary disk, from which planets, moons, asteroids, and comets eventually accrete. During the accretion of planetary systems, turbulent mixing can expose matter to a variety of different thermal and radiative environments. Chemical and physical changes in planetary system materials occur before and throughout the process of accretion, though many factors such as distance from the star, impact history, and level of heating experienced combine to ultimately determine the final geophysical characteristics. In Earth's planetary system, called the Solar System, after the orbits of the planets had settled into their current configuration, large impacts became rare, and the composition of and relative positions of objects became largely fixed. Further evolution of the respective chemical and physical environments of the planets-geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere-then became dependent on their local geochemistry, their atmospheric interactions with solar radiation, and smaller asteroid impacts. On Earth, the presence of land, air, and water, along with an abundance of important geophysical and geochemical phenomena, led to a habitable planet where conditions were right for life to thrive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micah J Schaible
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Zoe R Todd
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Eryn M Cangi
- Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | | | - Kynan H G Hughson
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Science, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Kamil Stelmach
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
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11
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Bloom BP, Paltiel Y, Naaman R, Waldeck DH. Chiral Induced Spin Selectivity. Chem Rev 2024; 124:1950-1991. [PMID: 38364021 PMCID: PMC10906005 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Since the initial landmark study on the chiral induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect in 1999, considerable experimental and theoretical efforts have been made to understand the physical underpinnings and mechanistic features of this interesting phenomenon. As first formulated, the CISS effect refers to the innate ability of chiral materials to act as spin filters for electron transport; however, more recent experiments demonstrate that displacement currents arising from charge polarization of chiral molecules lead to spin polarization without the need for net charge flow. With its identification of a fundamental connection between chiral symmetry and electron spin in molecules and materials, CISS promises profound and ubiquitous implications for existing technologies and new approaches to answering age old questions, such as the homochiral nature of life. This review begins with a discussion of the different methods for measuring CISS and then provides a comprehensive overview of molecules and materials known to exhibit CISS-based phenomena before proceeding to identify structure-property relations and to delineate the leading theoretical models for the CISS effect. Next, it identifies some implications of CISS in physics, chemistry, and biology. The discussion ends with a critical assessment of the CISS field and some comments on its future outlook.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian P. Bloom
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Yossi Paltiel
- Applied
Physics Department and Center for Nano-Science and Nano-Technology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Ron Naaman
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann
Institute, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - David H. Waldeck
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
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12
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Todd ZR, Wogan NF, Catling DC. Favorable Environments for the Formation of Ferrocyanide, a Potentially Critical Reagent for Origins of Life. ACS EARTH & SPACE CHEMISTRY 2024; 8:221-229. [PMID: 38379837 PMCID: PMC10875668 DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.3c00213] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Cyanide and its derivatives play important roles in prebiotic chemistry through a variety of possible mechanisms. In particular, cyanide has been shown to allow for the synthesis of ribonucleotides and amino acids. Although dissolved hydrogen cyanide can be lost as a gas or undergo hydrolysis reactions, cyanide can also potentially be stored and stockpiled as ferrocyanide (Fe(CN)6-4), which is more stable. Furthermore, ferrocyanide aids in some prebiotic synthetic reactions. Here, we investigate the formation rates and yields of ferrocyanide as a function of various environmental parameters, such as the pH, temperature, and concentration. We find that ferrocyanide formation rates and yields are optimal at slightly alkaline conditions (pH 8-9) and moderate temperatures (≈20-30 °C). Given the wide range of possible lake environments likely available on early Earth, our results help to constrain the environmental conditions that would favor cyanide- and ferrocyanide-based prebiotic chemistries. We construct lake box models and find that ferrocyanide may be able to form and reach significant concentrations for prebiotic chemistry on the time scale of years under favorable conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoe R. Todd
- Department
of Earth and Space Sciences, University
of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
- Departments
of Chemistry and Astronomy, University of
Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Nicholas F. Wogan
- Department
of Earth and Space Sciences, University
of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - David C. Catling
- Department
of Earth and Space Sciences, University
of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
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13
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Brunk CF, Marshall CR. Opinion: The Key Steps in the Origin of Life to the Formation of the Eukaryotic Cell. Life (Basel) 2024; 14:226. [PMID: 38398735 PMCID: PMC10890422 DOI: 10.3390/life14020226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The path from life's origin to the emergence of the eukaryotic cell was long and complex, and as such it is rarely treated in one publication. Here, we offer a sketch of this path, recognizing that there are points of disagreement and that many transitions are still shrouded in mystery. We assume life developed within microchambers of an alkaline hydrothermal vent system. Initial simple reactions were built into more sophisticated reflexively autocatalytic food-generated networks (RAFs), laying the foundation for life's anastomosing metabolism, and eventually for the origin of RNA, which functioned as a genetic repository and as a catalyst (ribozymes). Eventually, protein synthesis developed, leading to life's biology becoming dominated by enzymes and not ribozymes. Subsequent enzymatic innovation included ATP synthase, which generates ATP, fueled by the proton gradient between the alkaline vent flux and the acidic sea. This gradient was later internalized via the evolution of the electron transport chain, a preadaptation for the subsequent emergence of the vent creatures from their microchamber cradles. Differences between bacteria and archaea suggests cellularization evolved at least twice. Later, the bacterial development of oxidative phosphorylation and the archaeal development of proteins to stabilize its DNA laid the foundation for the merger that led to the formation of eukaryotic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clifford F. Brunk
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Charles R. Marshall
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-4780, USA
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14
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Wang J, Abbas M, Wang J, Spruijt E. Selective amide bond formation in redox-active coacervate protocells. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8492. [PMID: 38129391 PMCID: PMC10739716 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44284-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Coacervate droplets are promising protocell models because they sequester a wide range of guest molecules and may catalyze their conversion. However, it remains unclear how life's building blocks, including peptides, could be synthesized from primitive precursor molecules inside such protocells. Here, we develop a redox-active protocell model formed by phase separation of prebiotically relevant ferricyanide (Fe(CN)63-) molecules and cationic peptides. Their assembly into coacervates can be regulated by redox chemistry and the coacervates act as oxidizing hubs for sequestered metabolites, like NAD(P)H and gluthathione. Interestingly, the oxidizing potential of Fe(CN)63- inside coacervates can be harnessed to drive the formation of new amide bonds between prebiotically relevant amino acids and α-amidothioacids. Aminoacylation is enhanced in Fe(CN)63-/peptide coacervates and selective for amino acids that interact less strongly with the coacervates. We finally use Fe(CN)63--containing coacervates to spatially control assembly of fibrous networks inside and at the surface of coacervate protocells. These results provide an important step towards the prebiotically relevant integration of redox chemistry in primitive cell-like compartments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahua Wang
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Radiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200233, China
| | - Manzar Abbas
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Junyou Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China.
| | - Evan Spruijt
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
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15
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Ravanbodshirazi S, Boutfol T, Safaridehkohneh N, Finkler M, Mohammadi-Kambs M, Ott A. The Nature of the Spark Is a Pivotal Element in the Design of a Miller-Urey Experiment. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:2201. [PMID: 38004341 PMCID: PMC10672138 DOI: 10.3390/life13112201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Miller and Urey applied electric sparks to a reducive mixture of CH4, NH3, and water to obtain a complex organic mixture including biomolecules. In this study, we examined the impact of temperature, initial pressure, ammonia concentration, and the spark generator on the chemical profile of a Miller-Urey-type prebiotic broth. We analyzed the broth composition using Gas Chromatography combined with Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS). The results point towards strong compositional changes with the nature of the spark. Ammonia exhibited catalytic properties even with non-nitrogen-containing compounds. A more elevated temperature led to a higher variety of substances. We conclude that to reproduce such a broth as well as possible, all the studied parameters need to be tightly controlled, the most difficult and important being spark generation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Albrecht Ott
- Biological Experimental Physics, Center for Biophysics, Faculity of Natural Sciences and Technology, Saarland University, Campus B2 1, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany; (S.R.)
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16
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Foote S, Sinhadc P, Mathis C, Walker SI. False Positives and the Challenge of Testing the Alien Hypothesis. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:1189-1201. [PMID: 37962842 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0005] [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: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The origin of life and the detection of alien life have historically been treated as separate scientific research problems. However, they are not strictly independent. Here, we discuss the need for a better integration of the sciences of life detection and origins of life. Framing these dual problems within the formalism of Bayesian hypothesis testing, we demonstrate via simple examples how high confidence in life detection claims require either (1) a strong prior hypothesis about the existence of life in a particular alien environment, or conversely, (2) signatures of life that are not susceptible to false positives. As a case study, we discuss the role of priors and hypothesis testing in recent results reporting potential detection of life in the venusian atmosphere and in the icy plumes of Enceladus. While many current leading biosignature candidates are subject to false positives because they are not definitive of life, our analyses demonstrate why it is necessary to shift focus to candidate signatures that are definitive. This indicates a necessity to develop methods that lack substantial false positives, by using observables for life that rely on prior hypotheses with strong theoretical and empirical support in identifying defining features of life. Abstract theories developed in pursuit of understanding universal features of life are more likely to be definitive and to apply to life-as-we-don't-know-it. We discuss Molecular Assembly theory as an example of such an observable which is applicable to life detection within the solar system. In the absence of alien examples these are best validated in origin of life experiments, substantiating the need for better integration between origins of life and biosignature science research communities. This leads to a conclusion that extraordinary claims in astrobiology (e.g., definitive detection of alien life) require extraordinary explanations, whereas the evidence itself could be quite ordinary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Searra Foote
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Pritvik Sinhadc
- Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- Dubai College, Dubai, UAE
| | - Cole Mathis
- Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
| | - Sara Imari Walker
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
- Blue Marble Space Institute for Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
- ASU-SFI Center for Biosocial Complex Systems, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
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17
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Mrnjavac N, Wimmer JLE, Brabender M, Schwander L, Martin WF. The Moon-Forming Impact and the Autotrophic Origin of Life. Chempluschem 2023; 88:e202300270. [PMID: 37812146 PMCID: PMC7615287 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202300270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
The Moon-forming impact vaporized part of Earth's mantle, and turned the rest into a magma ocean, from which carbon dioxide degassed into the atmosphere, where it stayed until water rained out to form the oceans. The rain dissolved CO2 and made it available to react with transition metal catalysts in the Earth's crust so as to ultimately generate the organic compounds that form the backbone of microbial metabolism. The Moon-forming impact was key in building a planet with the capacity to generate life in that it converted carbon on Earth into a homogeneous and accessible substrate for organic synthesis. Today all ecosystems, without exception, depend upon primary producers, organisms that fix CO2 . According to theories of autotrophic origin, it has always been that way, because autotrophic theories posit that the first forms of life generated all the molecules needed to build a cell from CO2 , forging a direct line of continuity between Earth's initial CO2 -rich atmosphere and the first microorganisms. By modern accounts these were chemolithoautotrophic archaea and bacteria that initially colonized the crust and still inhabit that environment today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Mrnjavac
- Department of Biology Institute for Molecular Evolution Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf (Germany)
| | - Jessica L. E. Wimmer
- Department of Biology Institute for Molecular Evolution Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf (Germany)
| | - Max Brabender
- Department of Biology Institute for Molecular Evolution Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf (Germany)
| | - Loraine Schwander
- Department of Biology Institute for Molecular Evolution Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf (Germany)
| | - William F. Martin
- Department of Biology Institute for Molecular Evolution Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf (Germany)
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18
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Baum DA, Peng Z, Dolson E, Smith E, Plum AM, Gagrani P. The ecology-evolution continuum and the origin of life. J R Soc Interface 2023; 20:20230346. [PMID: 37907091 PMCID: PMC10618062 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2023.0346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Prior research on evolutionary mechanisms during the origin of life has mainly assumed the existence of populations of discrete entities with information encoded in genetic polymers. Recent theoretical advances in autocatalytic chemical ecology establish a broader evolutionary framework that allows for adaptive complexification prior to the emergence of bounded individuals or genetic encoding. This framework establishes the formal equivalence of cells, ecosystems and certain localized chemical reaction systems as autocatalytic chemical ecosystems (ACEs): food-driven (open) systems that can grow due to the action of autocatalytic cycles (ACs). When ACEs are organized in meta-ecosystems, whether they be populations of cells or sets of chemically similar environmental patches, evolution, defined as change in AC frequency over time, can occur. In cases where ACs are enriched because they enhance ACE persistence or dispersal ability, evolution is adaptive and can build complexity. In particular, adaptive evolution can explain the emergence of self-bounded units (e.g. protocells) and genetic inheritance mechanisms. Recognizing the continuity between ecological and evolutionary change through the lens of autocatalytic chemical ecology suggests that the origin of life should be seen as a general and predictable outcome of driven chemical ecosystems rather than a phenomenon requiring specific, rare conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Baum
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705, USA
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Zhen Peng
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Emily Dolson
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Eric Smith
- Department of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
| | - Alex M. Plum
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Praful Gagrani
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705, USA
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19
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Nogal N, Sanz-Sánchez M, Vela-Gallego S, Ruiz-Mirazo K, de la Escosura A. The protometabolic nature of prebiotic chemistry. Chem Soc Rev 2023; 52:7359-7388. [PMID: 37855729 PMCID: PMC10614573 DOI: 10.1039/d3cs00594a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
The field of prebiotic chemistry has been dedicated over decades to finding abiotic routes towards the molecular components of life. There is nowadays a handful of prebiotically plausible scenarios that enable the laboratory synthesis of most amino acids, fatty acids, simple sugars, nucleotides and core metabolites of extant living organisms. The major bottleneck then seems to be the self-organization of those building blocks into systems that can self-sustain. The purpose of this tutorial review is having a close look, guided by experimental research, into the main synthetic pathways of prebiotic chemistry, suggesting how they could be wired through common intermediates and catalytic cycles, as well as how recursively changing conditions could help them engage in self-organized and dissipative networks/assemblies (i.e., systems that consume chemical or physical energy from their environment to maintain their internal organization in a dynamic steady state out of equilibrium). In the article we also pay attention to the implications of this view for the emergence of homochirality. The revealed connectivity between those prebiotic routes should constitute the basis for a robust research program towards the bottom-up implementation of protometabolic systems, taken as a central part of the origins-of-life problem. In addition, this approach should foster further exploration of control mechanisms to tame the combinatorial explosion that typically occurs in mixtures of various reactive precursors, thus regulating the functional integration of their respective chemistries into self-sustaining protocellular assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemí Nogal
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Campus Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Marcos Sanz-Sánchez
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Campus Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Sonia Vela-Gallego
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Campus Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Kepa Ruiz-Mirazo
- Biofisika Institute (CSIC, UPV/EHU), University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain
- Department of Philosophy, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain
| | - Andrés de la Escosura
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Campus Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
- Institute for Advanced Research in Chemistry (IAdChem), Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain
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20
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Peng Z, Adam ZR, Fahrenbach AC, Kaçar B. Assessment of Stoichiometric Autocatalysis across Element Groups. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:22483-22493. [PMID: 37722081 PMCID: PMC10591316 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c07041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Autocatalysis has been proposed to play critical roles during abiogenesis. These proposals are at odds with a limited number of known examples of abiotic (and, in particular, inorganic) autocatalytic systems that might reasonably function in a prebiotic environment. In this study, we broadly assess the occurrence of stoichiometries that can support autocatalytic chemical systems through comproportionation. If the product of a comproportionation reaction can be coupled with an auxiliary oxidation or reduction pathway that furnishes a reactant, then a Comproportionation-based Autocatalytic Cycle (CompAC) can exist. Using this strategy, we surveyed the literature published in the past two centuries for reactions that can be organized into CompACs that consume some chemical species as food to synthesize more autocatalysts. 226 CompACs and 44 Broad-sense CompACs were documented, and we found that each of the 18 groups, lanthanoid series, and actinoid series in the periodic table has at least two CompACs. Our findings demonstrate that stoichiometric relationships underpinning abiotic autocatalysis could broadly exist across a range of geochemical and cosmochemical conditions, some of which are substantially different from the modern Earth. Meanwhile, the observation of some autocatalytic systems requires effective spatial or temporal separation between the food chemicals while allowing comproportionation and auxiliary reactions to proceed, which may explain why naturally occurring autocatalytic systems are not frequently observed. The collated CompACs and the conditions in which they might plausibly support complex, "life-like" chemical dynamics can directly aid an expansive assessment of life's origins and provide a compendium of alternative hypotheses concerning false-positive biosignatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Peng
- Department
of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin−Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Zachary R. Adam
- Department
of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin−Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
- Department
of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin−Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Albert C. Fahrenbach
- School
of Chemistry, Australian Centre for Astrobiology and the UNSW RNA
Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Betül Kaçar
- Department
of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin−Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
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21
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Ozturk SF, Bhowmick DK, Kapon Y, Sang Y, Kumar A, Paltiel Y, Naaman R, Sasselov DD. Chirality-induced avalanche magnetization of magnetite by an RNA precursor. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6351. [PMID: 37816811 PMCID: PMC10564924 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42130-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Homochirality is a hallmark of life on Earth. To achieve and maintain homochirality within a prebiotic network, the presence of an environmental factor acting as a chiral agent and providing a persistent chiral bias to prebiotic chemistry is highly advantageous. Magnetized surfaces are prebiotically plausible chiral agents due to the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect, and they were utilized to attain homochiral ribose-aminooxazoline (RAO), an RNA precursor. However, natural magnetic minerals are typically weakly magnetized, necessitating mechanisms to enhance their magnetization for their use as effective chiral agents. Here, we report the magnetization of magnetic surfaces by crystallizing enantiopure RAO, whereby chiral molecules induce a uniform surface magnetization due to the CISS effect, which spreads across the magnetic surface akin to an avalanche. Chirality-induced avalanche magnetization enables a feedback between chiral molecules and magnetic surfaces, which can amplify a weak magnetization and allow for highly efficient spin-selective processes on magnetic minerals.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Furkan Ozturk
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
| | - Deb Kumar Bhowmick
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Yael Kapon
- Department of Applied Physics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel
| | - Yutao Sang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Anil Kumar
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Yossi Paltiel
- Department of Applied Physics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel
| | - Ron Naaman
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
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22
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Schwander L, Brabender M, Mrnjavac N, Wimmer JLE, Preiner M, Martin WF. Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1257597. [PMID: 37854333 PMCID: PMC10581274 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1257597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Serpentinization in hydrothermal vents is central to some autotrophic theories for the origin of life because it generates compartments, reductants, catalysts and gradients. During the process of serpentinization, water circulates through hydrothermal systems in the crust where it oxidizes Fe (II) in ultramafic minerals to generate Fe (III) minerals and H2. Molecular hydrogen can, in turn, serve as a freely diffusible source of electrons for the reduction of CO2 to organic compounds, provided that suitable catalysts are present. Using catalysts that are naturally synthesized in hydrothermal vents during serpentinization H2 reduces CO2 to formate, acetate, pyruvate, and methane. These compounds represent the backbone of microbial carbon and energy metabolism in acetogens and methanogens, strictly anaerobic chemolithoautotrophs that use the acetyl-CoA pathway of CO2 fixation and that inhabit serpentinizing environments today. Serpentinization generates reduced carbon, nitrogen and - as newer findings suggest - reduced phosphorous compounds that were likely conducive to the origins process. In addition, it gives rise to inorganic microcompartments and proton gradients of the right polarity and of sufficient magnitude to support chemiosmotic ATP synthesis by the rotor-stator ATP synthase. This would help to explain why the principle of chemiosmotic energy harnessing is more conserved (older) than the machinery to generate ion gradients via pumping coupled to exergonic chemical reactions, which in the case of acetogens and methanogens involve H2-dependent CO2 reduction. Serpentinizing systems exist in terrestrial and deep ocean environments. On the early Earth they were probably more abundant than today. There is evidence that serpentinization once occurred on Mars and is likely still occurring on Saturn's icy moon Enceladus, providing a perspective on serpentinization as a source of reductants, catalysts and chemical disequilibrium for life on other worlds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loraine Schwander
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Max Brabender
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Natalia Mrnjavac
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jessica L. E. Wimmer
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Martina Preiner
- Microcosm Earth Center, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and Philipps-Universität, Marburg, Germany
| | - William F. Martin
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
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23
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Ritson DJ, Sutherland JD. Thiophosphate photochemistry enables prebiotic access to sugars and terpenoid precursors. Nat Chem 2023; 15:1470-1477. [PMID: 37443293 PMCID: PMC10533393 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-023-01251-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Over the past few years, evidence has accrued that demonstrates that terrestrial photochemical reactions could have provided numerous (proto)biomolecules with implications for the origin of life. This chemistry simply relies on UV light, inorganic sulfur species and hydrogen cyanide. Recently, we reported that, under the same conditions, reduced phosphorus species, such as those delivered by meteorites, can be oxidized to orthophosphate, generating thiophosphate in the process. Here we describe an investigation of the properties of thiophosphate as well as additional possible means for its formation on primitive Earth. We show that several reported prebiotic reactions, including the photoreduction of thioamides, carbonyl groups and cyanohydrins, can be markedly improved, and that tetroses and pentoses can be accessed from hydrogen cyanide through a Kiliani-Fischer-type process without progressing to higher sugars. We also demonstrate that thiophosphate allows photochemical reductive aminations, and that thiophosphate chemistry allows a plausible prebiotic synthesis of the C5 moieties used in extant terpene and terpenoid biosynthesis, namely dimethylallyl alcohol and isopentenyl alcohol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dougal J Ritson
- MRC - Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK.
| | - John D Sutherland
- MRC - Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK.
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24
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Vignane T, Filipovic MR. Emerging Chemical Biology of Protein Persulfidation. Antioxid Redox Signal 2023; 39:19-39. [PMID: 37288744 PMCID: PMC10433728 DOI: 10.1089/ars.2023.0352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Significance: Protein persulfidation (the formation of RSSH), an evolutionarily conserved oxidative posttranslational modification in which thiol groups in cysteine residues are converted into persulfides, has emerged as one of the main mechanisms through which hydrogen sulfide (H2S) conveys its signaling. Recent Advances: New methodological advances in persulfide labeling started unraveling the chemical biology of this modification and its role in (patho)physiology. Some of the key metabolic enzymes are regulated by persulfidation. RSSH levels are important for the cellular defense against oxidative injury, and they decrease with aging, leaving proteins vulnerable to oxidative damage. Persulfidation is dysregulated in many diseases. Critical Issues: A relatively new field of signaling by protein persulfidation still has many unanswered questions: the mechanism(s) of persulfide formation and transpersulfidation and the identification of "protein persulfidases," the improvement of methods to monitor RSSH changes and identify protein targets, and understanding the mechanisms through which this modification controls important (patho)physiological functions. Future Directions: Deep mechanistic studies using more selective and sensitive RSSH labeling techniques will provide high-resolution structural, functional, quantitative, and spatiotemporal information on RSSH dynamics and help with better understanding how H2S-derived protein persulfidation affects protein structure and function in health and disease. This knowledge could pave the way for targeted drug design for a wide variety of pathologies. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 39, 19-39.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibaut Vignane
- Leibniz Institute for Analytical Sciences, ISAS e.V., Dortmund, Germany
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25
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Elsaesser A, Burr DJ, Mabey P, Urso RG, Billi D, Cockell C, Cottin H, Kish A, Leys N, van Loon JJWA, Mateo-Marti E, Moissl-Eichinger C, Onofri S, Quinn RC, Rabbow E, Rettberg P, de la Torre Noetzel R, Slenzka K, Ricco AJ, de Vera JP, Westall F. Future space experiment platforms for astrobiology and astrochemistry research. NPJ Microgravity 2023; 9:43. [PMID: 37308480 DOI: 10.1038/s41526-023-00292-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Space experiments are a technically challenging but a scientifically important part of astrobiology and astrochemistry research. The International Space Station (ISS) is an excellent example of a highly successful and long-lasting research platform for experiments in space, that has provided a wealth of scientific data over the last two decades. However, future space platforms present new opportunities to conduct experiments with the potential to address key topics in astrobiology and astrochemistry. In this perspective, the European Space Agency (ESA) Topical Team Astrobiology and Astrochemistry (with feedback from the wider scientific community) identifies a number of key topics and summarizes the 2021 "ESA SciSpacE Science Community White Paper" for astrobiology and astrochemistry. We highlight recommendations for the development and implementation of future experiments, discuss types of in situ measurements, experimental parameters, exposure scenarios and orbits, and identify knowledge gaps and how to advance scientific utilization of future space-exposure platforms that are either currently under development or in an advanced planning stage. In addition to the ISS, these platforms include CubeSats and SmallSats, as well as larger platforms such as the Lunar Orbital Gateway. We also provide an outlook for in situ experiments on the Moon and Mars, and welcome new possibilities to support the search for exoplanets and potential biosignatures within and beyond our solar system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Elsaesser
- Freie Universitaet Berlin, Department of Physics, Arnimallee 14, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
| | - David J Burr
- Freie Universitaet Berlin, Department of Physics, Arnimallee 14, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul Mabey
- Freie Universitaet Berlin, Department of Physics, Arnimallee 14, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Daniela Billi
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Charles Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Hervé Cottin
- Univ Paris Est Creteil and Université Paris Cité, CNRS, LISA, F-94010, Créteil, France
| | - Adrienne Kish
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM), CNRS, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Natalie Leys
- Interdisciplinary Biosciences Group, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, SCK CEN, 2400, Mol, Belgium
| | - Jack J W A van Loon
- Dutch Experiment Support Center (DESC), Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Oral Pathology, Amsterdam Bone Center (ABC), Amsterdam UMC Location VU University Medical Center (VUmc) & Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Gustav Mahlerlaan 3004, 1081 LA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Eva Mateo-Marti
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
| | - Christine Moissl-Eichinger
- Institute of Hygiene, Microbiology and Environmental Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Silvano Onofri
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
| | | | - Elke Rabbow
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, Linder Höhe, 51147, Cologne, Germany
| | - Petra Rettberg
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, Linder Höhe, 51147, Cologne, Germany
| | - Rosa de la Torre Noetzel
- Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Departamento de Observación de la Tierra, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
| | - Klaus Slenzka
- KS-3D-3D-Printing and Laser Services, In der Heide 16, 27243, Gross Ippener, Germany
| | | | - Jean-Pierre de Vera
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Space Operations and Astronaut Training, Microgravity User Support Center (MUSC), Linder Höhe, 51147, Cologne, Germany
| | - Frances Westall
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, Orléans, France
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26
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Ozturk SF, Liu Z, Sutherland JD, Sasselov DD. Origin of biological homochirality by crystallization of an RNA precursor on a magnetic surface. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadg8274. [PMID: 37285423 PMCID: PMC10246896 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg8274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Homochirality is a signature of life on Earth, yet its origins remain an unsolved puzzle. Achieving homochirality is essential for a high-yielding prebiotic network capable of producing functional polymers like RNA and peptides on a persistent basis. Because of the chiral-induced spin selectivity effect, which established a strong coupling between electron spin and molecular chirality, magnetic surfaces can act as chiral agents and be templates for the enantioselective crystallization of chiral molecules. Here, we studied the spin-selective crystallization of racemic ribo-aminooxazoline (RAO), an RNA precursor, on magnetite (Fe3O4) surfaces, achieving an unprecedented enantiomeric excess (ee) of about 60%. Following the initial enrichment, we then obtained homochiral (100% ee) crystals of RAO after a subsequent crystallization. Our results demonstrate a prebiotically plausible way of achieving system-level homochirality from completely racemic starting materials, in a shallow-lake environment on early Earth where sedimentary magnetite deposits are expected to be common.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Furkan Ozturk
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Ziwei Liu
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
| | - John D. Sutherland
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
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27
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Armas-Vázquez MZ, González-Espinoza CE, Segura A, Heredia A, Miranda-Rosete A. Impact of M Dwarfs Ultraviolet Radiation on Prebiotic Chemistry: The Case of Adenine. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:705-722. [PMID: 37115581 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
To date, several exoplanets have been found to orbit within the habitable zone of main sequence M stars (M dwarfs). These stars exhibit different levels of chromospheric activity that produces ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UV may be harmful to life, but it can also trigger reactions of prebiotic importance on the surface of a potentially habitable planet (PHP). We created a code to obtain the adenine yield for a known adenine synthesis route from diaminomaleonitrile (DAMN). We used computational methods to calculate the reaction coefficient rates (photolysis rate J and rate constant K) for the intermediate molecules DAMN, diaminofumaronitrile (DAFN), and 4-aminoimidazole-5-carbonitrile (AICN) of the adenine synthesis route. We used stellar UV sources and a mercury lamp to compare the theoretical results with experiments performed with lamps. The surface UV flux of planets in the habitable zone of two active M dwarfs (Proxima Centauri and AD Leonis) and the prebiotic Earth was calculated using the photochemical model ATMOS, considering a CO2-N2-H2O atmosphere. We obtained UV absorption coefficients for DAMN and DAFN and thermodynamic parameters that are useful for prebiotic chemistry studies. According to our results, experiments using UV lamps may underestimate the photolysis production of molecules of prebiotic importance. Our results indicate that photolysis reactions are fast with a yield of 50% of AICN in 10 s for the young Sun and ∼1 h for Proxima Centauri b. Planets around active M dwarfs may provide the most favorable environment for UV-mediated production of compounds relevant to the origins of life. The kinetic reaction AICN + HCN adenine is the bottleneck of the pathway with reaction rates <10-22 L/(mol·s).
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Affiliation(s)
- M Zulema Armas-Vázquez
- Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
| | | | - Antígona Segura
- Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
| | - Alejandro Heredia
- Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
| | - Arturo Miranda-Rosete
- Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
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28
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van Duppen P, Daines E, Robinson WE, Huck WTS. Dynamic Environmental Conditions Affect the Composition of a Model Prebiotic Reaction Network. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:7559-7568. [PMID: 36961990 PMCID: PMC10080678 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c00908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/26/2023]
Abstract
Prebiotic environments are dynamic, containing a range of periodic and aperiodic variations in reaction conditions. However, the impact of the temporal dynamics of environmental conditions upon prebiotic chemical reaction networks has not been investigated. Here, we demonstrate how the magnitude and rate of temporal fluctuations of the catalysts Ca2+ and hydroxide control the product distributions of the formose reaction. Surprisingly, the product compositions of the formose reaction under dynamic conditions deviate significantly from those under steady state conditions. We attribute these compositional changes to the non-uniform propagation of fluctuations through the network, thereby shaping reaction outcomes. An examination of temporal concentration patterns showed that collections of compounds responded collectively to perturbations, indicating that key gating reactions branching from the Breslow cycle may be important responsive features of the formose reaction. Our findings show how the compositions of prebiotic reaction networks were shaped by sequential environmental events, illustrating the necessity for considering the temporal traits of prebiotic environments that supported the origin of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peer van Duppen
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Elena Daines
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - William E Robinson
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Wilhelm T S Huck
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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29
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Prebiotic Synthesis of ATP: A Terrestrial Volcanism-Dependent Pathway. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13030731. [PMID: 36983886 PMCID: PMC10053121 DOI: 10.3390/life13030731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a multifunctional small molecule, necessary for all modern Earth life, which must be a component of the last universal common ancestor (LUCA). However, the relatively complex structure of ATP causes doubts about its accessibility on prebiotic Earth. In this paper, based on previous studies on the synthesis of ATP components, a plausible prebiotic pathway yielding this key molecule is constructed, which relies on terrestrial volcanism to provide the required materials and suitable conditions.
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30
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De Mol ML. Astrobiology in Space: A Comprehensive Look at the Solar System. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13030675. [PMID: 36983831 PMCID: PMC10054531 DOI: 10.3390/life13030675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The field of astrobiology aims to understand the origin of life on Earth and searches for evidence of life beyond our planet. Although there is agreement on some of the requirements for life on Earth, the exact process by which life emerged from prebiotic conditions is still uncertain, leading to various theories. In order to expand our knowledge of life and our place in the universe, scientists look for signs of life through the use of biosignatures, observations that suggest the presence of past or present life. These biosignatures often require up-close investigation by orbiters and landers, which have been employed in various space missions. Mars, because of its proximity and Earth-like environment, has received the most attention and has been explored using (sub)surface sampling and analysis. Despite its inhospitable surface conditions, Venus has also been the subject of space missions due to the presence of potentially habitable conditions in its atmosphere. In addition, the discovery of habitable environments on icy moons has sparked interest in further study. This article provides an overview of the origin of life on Earth and the astrobiology studies carried out by orbiters and landers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maarten L De Mol
- Centre for Industrial Biotechnology and Biocatalysis (InBio.be), Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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31
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Tutolo BM, Tosca NJ. Observational constraints on the process and products of Martian serpentinization. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadd8472. [PMID: 36735795 PMCID: PMC9897658 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add8472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The alteration of olivine-rich rocks to serpentine minerals, (hydr)oxides, and aqueous hydrogen through serpentinization is long thought to have influenced the distribution of habitable environments on early Mars and the evolution of the early Martian hydrosphere and atmosphere. Nevertheless, the planetary importance of Martian serpentinization has remained a matter of debate. To constrain the process and products of Martian serpentinization, we studied serpentinized iron-rich olivines from the 1.1-billion-year Duluth Complex. These data indicate that serpentinized iron-rich olivine would have been accompanied by a fivefold increase in hydrogen production relative to serpentinized terrestrial mantle peridotites. In contrast to previous expectations, this style of serpentinization yields hisingerite as the dominant iron serpentine mineral at comparatively low temperature and pH, consistent with meteorite mineralogy and in situ rover data. The widespread occurrence of oxidized iron-bearing phyllosilicates in highly magnetized regions of the Martian crust supports the hypothesis that serpentinization was more pervasive on early Mars than currently estimated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicholas J. Tosca
- University of Cambridge, Department of Earth Sciences, Cambridge, UK
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32
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Cohen ZR, Todd ZR, Wogan N, Black RA, Keller SL, Catling DC. Plausible Sources of Membrane-Forming Fatty Acids on the Early Earth: A Review of the Literature and an Estimation of Amounts. ACS EARTH & SPACE CHEMISTRY 2023; 7:11-27. [PMID: 36704178 PMCID: PMC9869395 DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.2c00168%20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The first cells were plausibly bounded by membranes assembled from fatty acids with at least 8 carbons. Although the presence of fatty acids on the early Earth is widely assumed within the astrobiology community, there is no consensus regarding their origin and abundance. In this Review, we highlight three possible sources of fatty acids: (1) delivery by carbonaceous meteorites, (2) synthesis on metals delivered by impactors, and (3) electrochemical synthesis by spark discharges. We also discuss fatty acid synthesis by UV or particle irradiation, gas-phase ion-molecule reactions, and aqueous redox reactions. We compare estimates for the total mass of fatty acids supplied to Earth by each source during the Hadean eon after an extremely massive asteroid impact that would have reset Earth's fatty acid inventory. We find that synthesis on iron-rich surfaces derived from the massive impactor in contact with an impact-generated reducing atmosphere could have contributed ∼102 times more total mass of fatty acids than subsequent delivery by either carbonaceous meteorites or electrochemical synthesis. Additionally, we estimate that a single carbonaceous meteorite would not deliver a high enough concentration of fatty acids (∼15 mM for decanoic acid) into an existing body of water on the Earth's surface to spontaneously form membranes unless the fatty acids were further concentrated by another mechanism, such as subsequent evaporation of the water. Our estimates rely heavily on various assumptions, leading to significant uncertainties; nevertheless, these estimates provide rough order-of-magnitude comparisons of various sources of fatty acids on the early Earth. We also suggest specific experiments to improve future estimates. Our calculations support the view that fatty acids would have been available on the early Earth. Further investigation is needed to assess the mechanisms by which fatty acids could have been concentrated sufficiently to assemble into membranes during the origin of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary R. Cohen
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Zoe R. Todd
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Nicholas Wogan
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Roy A. Black
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Sarah L. Keller
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - David C. Catling
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
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33
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Cohen ZR, Todd ZR, Wogan N, Black RA, Keller SL, Catling DC. Plausible Sources of Membrane-Forming Fatty Acids on the Early Earth: A Review of the Literature and an Estimation of Amounts. ACS EARTH & SPACE CHEMISTRY 2023; 7:11-27. [PMID: 36704178 PMCID: PMC9869395 DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.2c00168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The first cells were plausibly bounded by membranes assembled from fatty acids with at least 8 carbons. Although the presence of fatty acids on the early Earth is widely assumed within the astrobiology community, there is no consensus regarding their origin and abundance. In this Review, we highlight three possible sources of fatty acids: (1) delivery by carbonaceous meteorites, (2) synthesis on metals delivered by impactors, and (3) electrochemical synthesis by spark discharges. We also discuss fatty acid synthesis by UV or particle irradiation, gas-phase ion-molecule reactions, and aqueous redox reactions. We compare estimates for the total mass of fatty acids supplied to Earth by each source during the Hadean eon after an extremely massive asteroid impact that would have reset Earth's fatty acid inventory. We find that synthesis on iron-rich surfaces derived from the massive impactor in contact with an impact-generated reducing atmosphere could have contributed ∼102 times more total mass of fatty acids than subsequent delivery by either carbonaceous meteorites or electrochemical synthesis. Additionally, we estimate that a single carbonaceous meteorite would not deliver a high enough concentration of fatty acids (∼15 mM for decanoic acid) into an existing body of water on the Earth's surface to spontaneously form membranes unless the fatty acids were further concentrated by another mechanism, such as subsequent evaporation of the water. Our estimates rely heavily on various assumptions, leading to significant uncertainties; nevertheless, these estimates provide rough order-of-magnitude comparisons of various sources of fatty acids on the early Earth. We also suggest specific experiments to improve future estimates. Our calculations support the view that fatty acids would have been available on the early Earth. Further investigation is needed to assess the mechanisms by which fatty acids could have been concentrated sufficiently to assemble into membranes during the origin of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary R. Cohen
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Zoe R. Todd
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Nicholas Wogan
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Roy A. Black
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Sarah L. Keller
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - David C. Catling
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
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34
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Westall F, Brack A, Fairén AG, Schulte MD. Setting the geological scene for the origin of life and continuing open questions about its emergence. FRONTIERS IN ASTRONOMY AND SPACE SCIENCES 2023; 9:1095701. [PMID: 38274407 PMCID: PMC7615569 DOI: 10.3389/fspas.2022.1095701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
The origin of life is one of the most fundamental questions of humanity. It has been and is still being addressed by a wide range of researchers from different fields, with different approaches and ideas as to how it came about. What is still incomplete is constrained information about the environment and the conditions reigning on the Hadean Earth, particularly on the inorganic ingredients available, and the stability and longevity of the various environments suggested as locations for the emergence of life, as well as on the kinetics and rates of the prebiotic steps leading to life. This contribution reviews our current understanding of the geological scene in which life originated on Earth, zooming in specifically on details regarding the environments and timescales available for prebiotic reactions, with the aim of providing experimenters with more specific constraints. Having set the scene, we evoke the still open questions about the origin of life: did life start organically or in mineralogical form? If organically, what was the origin of the organic constituents of life? What came first, metabolism or replication? What was the time-scale for the emergence of life? We conclude that the way forward for prebiotic chemistry is an approach merging geology and chemistry, i.e., far-from-equilibrium, wet-dry cycling (either subaerial exposure or dehydration through chelation to mineral surfaces) of organic reactions occurring repeatedly and iteratively at mineral surfaces under hydrothermal-like conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - André Brack
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS, Orléans, France
| | - Alberto G. Fairén
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB, CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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35
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McKay CP, Davies PCW, Worden SP. Directed Panspermia Using Interstellar Comets. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:1443-1451. [PMID: 36475964 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
It may be that habitable planets are common but life is rare. If future advances in telescopes increasingly suggest this is so, humankind might feel motivated to seed lifeless planets with resilient terrestrial organisms or synthetic forms designed to thrive on the target planet. A useful mechanism for achieving this goal at a relatively low cost is to use interstellar comets transiting the Solar System to convey microbial cargoes toward nearby planetary systems, where they could disseminate the inoculum via their dust trails. Conversely, it is conceivable that terrestrial life was deliberately seeded in this matter, a hypothesis that could be tested if we found evidence for life on other Solar System bodies that displayed common basic biochemical signatures. Our scenario raises a number of ethical and technological challenges that need to be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher P McKay
- Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - Paul C W Davies
- Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
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36
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Abstract
α-Amino acids are essential molecular constituents of life, twenty of which are privileged because they are encoded by the ribosomal machinery. The question remains open as to why this number and why this 20 in particular, an almost philosophical question that cannot be conclusively resolved. They are closely related to the evolution of the genetic code and whether nucleic acids, amino acids, and peptides appeared simultaneously and were available under prebiotic conditions when the first self-sufficient complex molecular system emerged on Earth. This report focuses on prebiotic and metabolic aspects of amino acids and proteins starting with meteorites, followed by their formation, including peptides, under plausible prebiotic conditions, and the major biosynthetic pathways in the various kingdoms of life. Coenzymes play a key role in the present analysis in that amino acid metabolism is linked to glycolysis and different variants of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA, rTCA, and the incomplete horseshoe version) as well as the biosynthesis of the most important coenzymes. Thus, the report opens additional perspectives and facets on the molecular evolution of primary metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Kirschning
- Institute of Organic ChemistryLeibniz University HannoverSchneiderberg 1B30167HannoverGermany
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37
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Graham RJ, Lichtenberg T, Pierrehumbert RT. CO 2 Ocean Bistability on Terrestrial Exoplanets. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. PLANETS 2022; 127:e2022JE007456. [PMID: 36589718 PMCID: PMC9787872 DOI: 10.1029/2022je007456] [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: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Cycling of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and interior of rocky planets can stabilize global climate and enable planetary surface temperatures above freezing over geologic time. However, variations in global carbon budget and unstable feedback cycles between planetary sub-systems may destabilize the climate of rocky exoplanets toward regimes unknown in the Solar System. Here, we perform clear-sky atmospheric radiative transfer and surface weathering simulations to probe the stability of climate equilibria for rocky, ocean-bearing exoplanets at instellations relevant for planetary systems in the outer regions of the circumstellar habitable zone. Our simulations suggest that planets orbiting G- and F-type stars (but not M-type stars) may display bistability between an Earth-like climate state with efficient carbon sequestration and an alternative stable climate equilibrium where CO2 condenses at the surface and forms a blanket of either clathrate hydrate or liquid CO2. At increasing instellation and with ineffective weathering, the latter state oscillates between cool, surface CO2-condensing and hot, non-condensing climates. CO2 bistable climates may emerge early in planetary history and remain stable for billions of years. The carbon dioxide-condensing climates follow an opposite trend in pCO2 versus instellation compared to the weathering-stabilized planet population, suggesting the possibility of observational discrimination between these distinct climate categories.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. J. Graham
- Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary PhysicsDepartment of PhysicsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Tim Lichtenberg
- Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary PhysicsDepartment of PhysicsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
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38
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Homochirality and chiral-induced spin selectivity: A new spin on the origin of life. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2210505119. [PMID: 35947591 PMCID: PMC9407374 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2210505119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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On the origins of life's homochirality: Inducing enantiomeric excess with spin-polarized electrons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2204765119. [PMID: 35787048 PMCID: PMC9282223 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2204765119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Life as we know it is homochiral, but the origins of biological homochirality on early Earth remain elusive. Shallow closed-basin lakes are a plausible prebiotic environment on early Earth, and most are expected to have significant sedimentary magnetite deposits. We hypothesize that ultraviolet (200- to 300-nm) irradiation of magnetite deposits could generate hydrated spin-polarized electrons sufficient to induce enantioselective prebiotic chemistry. Such electrons are potent reducing agents that drive reduction reactions where the spin polarization direction can enantioselectively alter the reaction kinetics. Our estimate of this chiral bias is based on the strong effective spin-orbit coupling observed in the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect, as applied to energy differences in reduction reactions for different isomers. In the original CISS experiments, spin-selective electron transmission through a monolayer of double-strand DNA molecules is observed at room temperature-indicating a strong coupling between molecular chirality and electron spin. We propose that the chiral symmetry breaking due to the CISS effect, when applied to reduction chemistry, can induce enantioselective synthesis on the prebiotic Earth and thus facilitate the homochiral assembly of life's building blocks.
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40
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Carr CE. Resolving the History of Life on Earth by Seeking Life As We Know It on Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:880-888. [PMID: 35467949 PMCID: PMC9298492 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0043] [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: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
An origin of Earth life on Mars would resolve significant inconsistencies between the inferred history of life and Earth's geologic history. Life as we know it utilizes amino acids, nucleic acids, and lipids for the metabolic, informational, and compartment-forming subsystems of a cell. Such building blocks may have formed simultaneously from cyanosulfidic chemical precursors in a planetary surface scenario involving ultraviolet light, wet-dry cycling, and volcanism. On the inferred water world of early Earth, such an origin would have been limited to volcanic island hotspots. A cyanosulfidic origin of life could have taken place on Mars via photoredox chemistry, facilitated by orders-of-magnitude more sub-aerial crust than early Earth, and an earlier transition to oxidative conditions that could have been involved in final fixation of the genetic code. Meteoritic bombardment may have generated transient habitable environments and ejected and transferred life to Earth. Ongoing and future missions to Mars offer an unprecedented opportunity to confirm or refute evidence consistent with a cyanosulfidic origin of life on Mars, search for evidence of ancient life, and constrain the evolution of Mars' oxidation state over time. We should seek to prove or refute a martian origin for life on Earth alongside other possibilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher E. Carr
- Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Address correspondence to: Christopher E. Carr, ESM Building, Room G10, 620 Cherry St NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
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41
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Robinson WE, Daines E, van Duppen P, de Jong T, Huck WTS. Environmental conditions drive self-organization of reaction pathways in a prebiotic reaction network. Nat Chem 2022; 14:623-631. [PMID: 35668214 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-022-00956-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of life from the prebiotic environment required a gradual process of chemical evolution towards greater molecular complexity. Elaborate prebiotically relevant synthetic routes to the building blocks of life have been established. However, it is still unclear how functional chemical systems evolved with direction using only the interaction between inherent molecular chemical reactivity and the abiotic environment. Here we demonstrate how complex systems of chemical reactions exhibit well-defined self-organization in response to varying environmental conditions. This self-organization allows the compositional complexity of the reaction products to be controlled as a function of factors such as feedstock and catalyst availability. We observe how Breslow's cycle contributes to the reaction composition by feeding C2 building blocks into the network, alongside reaction pathways dominated by formaldehyde-driven chain growth. The emergence of organized systems of chemical reactions in response to changes in the environment offers a potential mechanism for a chemical evolution process that bridges the gap between prebiotic chemical building blocks and the origin of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- William E Robinson
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Elena Daines
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Peer van Duppen
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Thijs de Jong
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Wilhelm T S Huck
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
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42
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Grosch M, Stiebritz MT, Bolney R, Winkler M, Jückstock E, Busch H, Peters S, Siegle AF, van Slageren J, Ribbe M, Hu Y, Trapp O, Robl C, Weigand W. Mackinawite supported reduction of C1 substrates into prebiotically relevant precursors. CHEMSYSTEMSCHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/syst.202200010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mario Grosch
- Friedrich Schiller Universitat Jena Chemisch Geowissenschaftliche Fakultat IAAC GERMANY
| | - Martin T Stiebritz
- UC Irvine: University of California Irvine Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry UNITED STATES
| | - Robert Bolney
- Friedrich Schiller Universitat Jena Chemisch Geowissenschaftliche Fakultat IAAC GERMANY
| | - Mario Winkler
- Universität Stuttgart Fakultät 3 Chemie: Universitat Stuttgart Fakultat 3 Chemie IPC GERMANY
| | - Eric Jückstock
- Friedrich Schiller Universitat Jena Chemisch Geowissenschaftliche Fakultat IAAC GERMANY
| | - Hannah Busch
- Friedrich Schiller Universitat Jena Chemisch Geowissenschaftliche Fakultat IAAC GERMANY
| | - Sophia Peters
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Fakultät für Chemie und Pharmazie: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen Fakultat fur Chemie und Pharmazie Department of Chemistry GERMANY
| | - Alexander F. Siegle
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Fakultät für Chemie und Pharmazie: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen Fakultat fur Chemie und Pharmazie Department of Chemistry GERMANY
| | - Joris van Slageren
- Universität Stuttgart Fakultät 3 Chemie: Universitat Stuttgart Fakultat 3 Chemie IPC GERMANY
| | - Markus Ribbe
- UC Irvine: University of California Irvine Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry GERMANY
| | - Yilin Hu
- UC Irvine: University of California Irvine Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry UNITED STATES
| | - Oliver Trapp
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Fakultät für Geowissenschaften: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen Fakultat fur Geowissenschaften Department of Chemistry UNITED STATES
| | - Christian Robl
- Friedrich Schiller Universitat Jena Chemisch Geowissenschaftliche Fakultat IAAC GERMANY
| | - Wolfgang Weigand
- Institut fuer Anorganische und Analytische Chemie Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena Humboldtstrasse 8 07743 Jena GERMANY
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43
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Vasavada AR. Mission Overview and Scientific Contributions from the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover After Eight Years of Surface Operations. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS 2022; 218:14. [PMID: 35399614 PMCID: PMC8981195 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-022-00882-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, with its Curiosity rover, has been exploring Gale crater (5.4° S, 137.8° E) since 2012 with the goal of assessing the potential of Mars to support life. The mission has compiled compelling evidence that the crater basin accumulated sediment transported by marginal rivers into lakes that likely persisted for millions of years approximately 3.6 Ga ago in the early Hesperian. Geochemical and mineralogical assessments indicate that environmental conditions within this timeframe would have been suitable for sustaining life, if it ever were present. Fluids simultaneously circulated in the subsurface and likely existed through the dry phases of lake bed exposure and aeolian deposition, conceivably creating a continuously habitable subsurface environment that persisted to less than 3 Ga in the early Amazonian. A diversity of organic molecules has been preserved, though degraded, with evidence for more complex precursors. Solid samples show highly variable isotopic abundances of sulfur, chlorine, and carbon. In situ studies of modern wind-driven sediment transport and multiple large and active aeolian deposits have led to advances in understanding bedform development and the initiation of saltation. Investigation of the modern atmosphere and environment has improved constraints on the timing and magnitude of atmospheric loss, revealed the presence of methane and the crater's influence on local meteorology, and provided measurements of high-energy radiation at Mars' surface in preparation for future crewed missions. Rover systems and science instruments remain capable of addressing all key scientific objectives. Emphases on advance planning, flexibility, operations support work, and team culture have allowed the mission team to maintain a high level of productivity in spite of declining rover power and funding. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11214-022-00882-7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashwin R. Vasavada
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA
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44
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Barge LM, Rodriguez LE, Weber JM, Theiling BP. Determining the "Biosignature Threshold" for Life Detection on Biotic, Abiotic, or Prebiotic Worlds. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:481-493. [PMID: 34898272 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The field of prebiotic chemistry has demonstrated that complex organic chemical systems that exhibit various life-like properties can be produced abiotically in the laboratory. Understanding these chemical systems is important for astrobiology and life detection since we do not know the extent to which prebiotic chemistry might exist or have existed on other worlds. Nor do we know what signatures are diagnostic of an extant or "failed" prebiotic system. On Earth, biology has suppressed most abiotic organic chemistry and overprints geologic records of prebiotic chemistry; therefore, it is difficult to validate whether chemical signatures from future planetary missions are remnant or extant prebiotic systems. The "biosignature threshold" between whether a chemical signature is more likely to be produced by abiotic versus biotic chemistry on a given world could vary significantly, depending on the particular environment, and could change over time, especially if life were to emerge and diversify on that world. To interpret organic signatures detected during a planetary mission, we advocate for (1) gaining a more complete understanding of prebiotic/abiotic chemical possibilities in diverse planetary environments and (2) involving experimental prebiotic samples as analogues when generating comparison libraries for "life-detection" mission instruments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Barge
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Laura E Rodriguez
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Jessica M Weber
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
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45
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Rossetto D, Mansy SS. Metals Are Integral to Life as We Know It. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:864830. [PMID: 35309928 PMCID: PMC8930831 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.864830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Investigations of biology and the origins of life regularly focus on the components of the central dogma and thus the elements that compose nucleic acids and peptides. Less attention is given to the inorganic components of a biological cell, which are required for biological polymers to function. The Earth was and continues to be rich in metals, and so investigations of the emergence and evolution of life must account for the role that metal ions play. Evolution is shaped by what is present, and not all elements of the periodic table are equally accessible. The presence of metals, the solubility of their ions, and their intrinsic reactivity all impacted the composition of the cells that emerged. Geological and bioinformatic analyses clearly show that the suite of accessible metal ions changed over the history of the Earth; however, such analyses tend to be interpreted in comparison to average oceanic conditions, which do not represent well the many niche environments present on the Earth. While there is still debate concerning the sequence of events that led to extant biology, what is clear is that life as we know it requires metals, and that past and current metal-dependent events remain, at least partially, imprinted in the chemistry of the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sheref S Mansy
- D-CIBIO, University of Trento, Povo, Italy
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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46
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Ranjan S, Kufner CL, Lozano GG, Todd ZR, Haseki A, Sasselov DD. UV Transmission in Natural Waters on Prebiotic Earth. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:242-262. [PMID: 34939825 PMCID: PMC8968845 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Ultraviolet (UV) light plays a key role in surficial theories of the origin of life, and numerous studies have focused on constraining the atmospheric transmission of UV radiation on early Earth. However, the UV transmission of the natural waters in which origins-of-life chemistry (prebiotic chemistry) is postulated to have occurred is poorly constrained. In this work, we combine laboratory and literature-derived absorption spectra of potential aqueous-phase prebiotic UV absorbers with literature estimates of their concentrations on early Earth to constrain the prebiotic UV environment in marine and terrestrial natural waters, and we consider the implications for prebiotic chemistry. We find that prebiotic freshwaters were largely transparent in the UV, contrary to assumptions in some models of prebiotic chemistry. Some waters, such as high-salinity waters like carbonate lakes, may be deficient in shortwave (≤220 nm) UV flux. More dramatically, ferrous waters can be strongly UV-shielded, particularly if the Fe2+ forms highly UV-absorbent species such as F e C N 6 4 - . Such waters may be compelling venues for UV-averse origin-of-life scenarios but are unfavorable for some UV-dependent prebiotic chemistries. UV light can trigger photochemistry even if attenuated through photochemical transformations of the absorber (e.g., e a q - production from halide irradiation), which may have both constructive and destructive effects for prebiotic syntheses. Prebiotic chemistries that invoke waters that contain such absorbers must self-consistently account for the chemical effects of these transformations. The speciation and abundance of Fe2+ in natural waters on early Earth is a major uncertainty and should be prioritized for further investigation, as it played a major role in UV transmission in prebiotic natural waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sukrit Ranjan
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Corinna L. Kufner
- Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Zoe R. Todd
- Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Azra Haseki
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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47
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Jia TZ, Nishikawa S, Fujishima K. Sequencing the Origins of Life. BBA ADVANCES 2022; 2:100049. [PMID: 37082609 PMCID: PMC10074849 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadva.2022.100049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
One goal of origins of life research is to understand how primitive informational and catalytic biopolymers emerged and evolved. Recently, a number of sequencing techniques have been applied to analysis of replicating and evolving primitive biopolymer systems, providing a sequence-specific and high-resolution view of primitive chemical processes. Here, we review application of sequencing techniques to analysis of synthetic and primitive nucleic acids and polypeptides. This includes next-generation sequencing of primitive polymerization and evolution processes, followed by discussion of other novel biochemical techniques that could contribute to sequence analysis of primitive biopolymer driven chemical systems. Further application of sequencing to origins of life research, perhaps as a life detection technology, could provide insight into the origin and evolution of informational and catalytic biopolymers on early Earth or elsewhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony Z. Jia
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, 600 1st Ave, Floor 1, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
- Corresponding author
| | - Shota Nishikawa
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-8501, Japan
| | - Kosuke Fujishima
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, 5322 Endo, Fujisawa-shi, Kanagawa 252-0882, Japan
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48
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Cohen ZR, Kessenich BL, Hazra A, Nguyen J, Johnson RS, MacCoss MJ, Lalic G, Black RA, Keller SL. Prebiotic Membranes and Micelles Do Not Inhibit Peptide Formation During Dehydration. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202100614. [PMID: 34881485 PMCID: PMC8957845 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cycles of dehydration and rehydration could have enabled formation of peptides and RNA in otherwise unfavorable conditions on the early Earth. Development of the first protocells would have hinged upon colocalization of these biopolymers with fatty acid membranes. Using atomic force microscopy, we find that a prebiotic fatty acid (decanoic acid) forms stacks of membranes after dehydration. Using LC-MS-MS (liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry) with isotope internal standards, we measure the rate of formation of serine dipeptides. We find that dipeptides form during dehydration at moderate temperatures (55 °C) at least as fast in the presence of decanoic acid membranes as in the absence of membranes. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that protocells could have formed within evaporating environments on the early Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary R. Cohen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington – Seattle, Seattle, Washington 98195-1700, USA, Astrobiology Program, University of Washington – Seattle, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Brennan L. Kessenich
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington – Seattle, Seattle, Washington 98195-1700, USA
| | - Avijit Hazra
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington – Seattle, Seattle, Washington 98195-1700, USA
| | - Julia Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington – Seattle, Seattle, Washington 98195-1700, USA
| | - Richard S. Johnson
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington – Seattle, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Michael J. MacCoss
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington – Seattle, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Gojko Lalic
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington – Seattle, Seattle, Washington 98195-1700, USA
| | - Roy. A. Black
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington – Seattle, Seattle, Washington 98195-1700, USA
| | - Sarah L. Keller
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington – Seattle, Seattle, Washington 98195-1700, USA, Astrobiology Program, University of Washington – Seattle, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
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49
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Cohen ZR, Cornell CE, Catling DC, Black RA, Keller SL. Prebiotic Protocell Membranes Retain Encapsulated Contents during Flocculation, and Phospholipids Preserve Encapsulation during Dehydration. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:1304-1310. [PMID: 35026114 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c03296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The first cell membranes were likely composed of single-chain amphiphiles such as fatty acids. An open question is whether fatty acid membranes could have functioned within evaporative lakes on the early Earth, which have been hypothesized to concentrate prebiotic reactants. Evaporation also concentrates monovalent salts, which in turn cause fatty acid membrane vesicles to flocculate; significant loss of encapsulated contents during flocculation would have impeded early cell evolution. Here, we tested whether fatty acid vesicles retain encapsulated contents after flocculation and after drying. We found that vesicles composed of 2:1 decanoic acid:decanol encapsulate calcein dye throughout a process of flocculation in saturated salt solution and subsequent disaggregation of vesicles by dilution of the salt. However, 30 minutes of complete dehydration disrupted encapsulation by fatty acid vesicles. In contrast, phospholipid vesicles maintained encapsulation. Our results reveal a selective pressure for protocells to incorporate phospholipids: while fatty acid membranes can retain encapsulated contents during periods of dilute and saturating salt, phospholipids are necessary for encapsulation during dry periods. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that evaporative lakes were productive sites for prebiotic chemistry and the origin of cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary R Cohen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
- Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Caitlin E Cornell
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - David C Catling
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
- Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Roy A Black
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Sarah L Keller
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
- Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
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50
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Abstract
As the remit of chemistry expands beyond molecules to systems, new synthetic targets appear on the horizon. Among these, life represents perhaps the ultimate synthetic challenge. Building on an increasingly detailed understanding of the inner workings of living systems and advances in organic synthesis and supramolecular chemistry, the de novo synthesis of life (i.e., the construction of a new form of life based on completely synthetic components) is coming within reach. This Account presents our first steps in the journey toward this long-term goal. The synthesis of life requires the functional integration of different subsystems that harbor the different characteristics that are deemed essential to life. The most important of these are self-replication, metabolism, and compartmentalization. Integrating these features into a single system, maintaining this system out of equilibrium, and allowing it to undergo Darwinian evolution should ideally result in the emergence of life. Our journey toward de novo life started with the serendipitous discovery of a new mechanism of self-replication. We found that self-assembly in a mixture of interconverting oligomers is a general way of achieving self-replication, where the assembly process drives the synthesis of the very molecules that assemble. Mechanically induced breakage of the growing replicating assemblies resulted in their exponential growth, which is an important enabler for achieving Darwinian evolution. Through this mechanism, the self-replication of compounds containing peptides, nucleobases, and fully synthetic molecules was achieved. Several examples of evolutionary dynamics have been observed in these systems, including the spontaneous diversification of replicators allowing them to specialize on different food sets, history dependence of replicator composition, and the spontaneous emergence of parasitic behavior. Peptide-based replicator assemblies were found to organize their peptide units in space in a manner that, inadvertently, gives rise to microenvironments that are capable of catalysis of chemical reactions or binding-induced activation of cofactors. Among the reactions that can be catalyzed by the replicators are ones that produce the precursors from which these replicators grow, amounting to the first examples of the assimilation of a proto-metabolism. Operating these replicators in a chemically fueled out-of-equilibrium replication-destruction regime was found to promote an increase in their molecular complexity. Fueling counteracts the inherent tendency of replicators to evolve toward lower complexity (caused by the fact that smaller replicators tend to replicate faster). Among the remaining steps on the road to de novo life are now to assimilate compartmentalization and achieve open-ended evolution of the resulting system. Success in the synthesis of de novo life, once obtained, will have far-reaching implications for our understanding of what life is, for the search for extraterrestrial life, for how life may have originated on earth, and for every-day life by opening up new vistas in the form living technology and materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sijbren Otto
- Centre for Systems Chemistry, Stratingh
Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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