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Thangamani A, Arumuganainar D. Emergence of information processing in biological systems and the origin of life. Commun Integr Biol 2024; 17:2373301. [PMID: 38993680 PMCID: PMC11238918 DOI: 10.1080/19420889.2024.2373301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
As every life form is composed of cells, elements of consciousness, namely memory and sentience, must be grounded in mechanisms that are integral to unicellular organisms. Earlier studies indicated that cellular cytoskeletal structures consisting of excitable, flexible, and oscillating polymers such as microtubules, along with quantum events, are potentially responsible for information processing and thus consciousness. This work attempts to solve the unknown, that is, how, at the spark of life, the phenomenon of cellular information processing first appears. This study posits that the spatially distributed wave energy of the molecules of an incepting cell interacts with space and generates a rotating bioinformation field, forming a vortex. This vortex, the local energy maximum, whose inbound and outbound energy fluxes represent signal reception and dispersal, is a critical step in the spark of life responsible for information storage, and with incremental wave superpositions, exhibits information processing. The vorticity of the rotating field is computed, and the obtained field characteristics indicated the emergence of a prebiotic complex to initiate information processing. Furthermore, the developed system model explains how perturbations from the environment are converted into response signals for the emanation of sense, locomotion, nutrition, and asexual reproduction, the fundamental evolutionary building blocks of prokaryotes. Further research directions include explaining how the energy potential available in the bio-information field and the vortex leads to the first formation of genetic material, emergence of cytoskeleton, and extension of bio-information field to multi-cellular organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arunvel Thangamani
- Interdisciplinary, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
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2
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Lawson KE, Dekle JK, Adamczyk AJ. Towards pharmaceutical protein stabilization: DFT and statistical learning studies on non-enzymatic peptide hydrolysis degradation mechanisms. COMPUT THEOR CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.comptc.2022.113938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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3
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Tracing the Primordial Chemical Life of Glycine: A Review from Quantum Chemical Simulations. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23084252. [PMID: 35457069 PMCID: PMC9030215 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23084252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycine (Gly), NH2CH2COOH, is the simplest amino acid. Although it has not been directly detected in the interstellar gas-phase medium, it has been identified in comets and meteorites, and its synthesis in these environments has been simulated in terrestrial laboratory experiments. Likewise, condensation of Gly to form peptides in scenarios resembling those present in a primordial Earth has been demonstrated experimentally. Thus, Gly is a paradigmatic system for biomolecular building blocks to investigate how they can be synthesized in astrophysical environments, transported and delivered by fragments of asteroids (meteorites, once they land on Earth) and comets (interplanetary dust particles that land on Earth) to the primitive Earth, and there react to form biopolymers as a step towards the emergence of life. Quantum chemical investigations addressing these Gly-related events have been performed, providing fundamental atomic-scale information and quantitative energetic data. However, they are spread in the literature and difficult to harmonize in a consistent way due to different computational chemistry methodologies and model systems. This review aims to collect the work done so far to characterize, at a quantum mechanical level, the chemical life of Gly, i.e., from its synthesis in the interstellar medium up to its polymerization on Earth.
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4
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Pitz ME, Nukovic AM, Elpers MA, Alexander-Bryant AA. Factors Affecting Secondary and Supramolecular Structures of Self-Assembling Peptide Nanocarriers. Macromol Biosci 2021; 22:e2100347. [PMID: 34800001 DOI: 10.1002/mabi.202100347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Self-assembling peptides are a popular vector for therapeutic cargo delivery due to their versatility, tunability, and biocompatibility. Accurately predicting secondary and supramolecular structures of self-assembling peptides is essential for de novo peptide design. However, computational modeling of such assemblies is not yet able to accurately predict structure formation for many peptide sequences. This review identifies patterns in literature between secondary and supramolecular structures, primary sequences, and applications to provide a guide for informed peptide design. An overview of peptide structures, their applications as nanocarriers, and analytical methods for characterizing secondary and supramolecular structure is examined. A top-down approach is then used to identify trends between peptide sequence and assembly structure from the current literature, including an analysis of the drivers at work, such as local and nonlocal sequence effects and solution conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E Pitz
- Department of Bioengineering, 301 Rhodes Research Center, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634-0905, USA
| | - Alexandra M Nukovic
- Department of Bioengineering, 301 Rhodes Research Center, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634-0905, USA
| | - Margaret A Elpers
- Department of Bioengineering, 301 Rhodes Research Center, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634-0905, USA
| | - Angela A Alexander-Bryant
- Department of Bioengineering, 301 Rhodes Research Center, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634-0905, USA
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5
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Wang W, Qiao L, He J, Ju Y, Yu K, Kan G, Guo C, Zhang H, Jiang J. Water Microdroplets Allow Spontaneously Abiotic Production of Peptides. J Phys Chem Lett 2021; 12:5774-5780. [PMID: 34134488 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c01083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The chemistry of abiotic synthesis of peptides in the context of their prebiotic origins is a continuing challenge that arises from thermodynamic and kinetic constraints in aqueous media. Here we reported a strategy of microdroplets' mass spectrometry for peptide bonds formed from pure amino acids or a mixture in the presence of phosphoric acids in aqueous microdroplets. In contrast to bulk experiments, the condensation reactions proceed spontaneously under ambient conditions. The microdroplet gave a negative free-energy change (ΔG ∼ -1.1 kcal/mol), and product yields of ∼75% were obtained at the scale of a few milliseconds. Experiments in which nebulization gas pressure and external charge were varied established dependence of peptide production on the droplet size that has a high surface-to-volume ratio. It is concluded that the condensation reactions occurred at or near the air-water interfaces of microdroplets. This aqueous microdroplets approach also provides a route for chemistry synthesis in the prebiotic era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxin Wang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
| | - Lina Qiao
- Marine College, Shandong University (Weihai), Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
| | - Jing He
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
| | - Yun Ju
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
| | - Kai Yu
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
| | - Guangfeng Kan
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
| | - Changlu Guo
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
| | - Jie Jiang
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
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6
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Achour S, Hosni Z, Darghouthi S, Syme C. Assisted dipeptide bond formation: glycine as a case study. Heliyon 2021; 7:e07276. [PMID: 34195408 PMCID: PMC8225972 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide bond formation is a crucial chemical process that dominates most biological mechanisms and is claimed to be a governing factor in the origin of life. Dipeptides made from glycine are studied computationally via Density Functional Theory (DFT) using two different basis sets. This reaction was investigated from both a thermodynamic and kinetic point of view. The effect of explicit assistance via the introduction of discrete solvent molecules was investigated. Water, methanol, and cyclohexane were all employed as solvent media in addition to gas to investigate their effects on the mechanism of peptide bond formation. This computational investigation revealed that methanol is slightly better than water to leverage peptide bond formation both kinetically and thermodynamically, while cyclohexane, a non-polar and non-protic solvent, is the least effective after gas as a medium of solvation. Energetic results in the gas environment are very close to those obtained in polar and protic solvents, suggesting that peptide bonds can be formed under interstellar conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofiene Achour
- University of Tunis El Manar, Research Unity of Modeling in Fundamental Sciences and Didactics, Team of Theoretical Chemistry and Reactivity, BP 254, El Manar 2, 2096, Tunisia
| | - Zied Hosni
- Sheffield Chemoinformatics Research Group, Information School, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 211 Portobello, S1 4DP, Sheffield, UK
| | - Sarra Darghouthi
- University of Tunis El Manar, Research Unity of Modeling in Fundamental Sciences and Didactics, Team of Theoretical Chemistry and Reactivity, BP 254, El Manar 2, 2096, Tunisia
| | - Christopher Syme
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Sir Michael Stoker Building, Garscube Campus, 464 Bearsden Road, Glasgow, G61 1QH, Scotland, UK
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7
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Prebiotic chemistry and origins of life research with atomistic computer simulations. Phys Life Rev 2020; 34-35:105-135. [DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2018.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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8
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Ponce CP, Kloprogge JT. Urea-Assisted Synthesis and Characterization of Saponite with Different Octahedral (Mg, Zn, Ni, Co) and Tetrahedral Metals (Al, Ga, B), a Review. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10090168. [PMID: 32872173 PMCID: PMC7555627 DOI: 10.3390/life10090168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Clay minerals surfaces potentially play a role in prebiotic synthesis through adsorption of organic monomers that give rise to highly concentrated systems; facilitate condensation and polymerization reactions, protection of early biomolecules from hydrolysis and photolysis, and surface-templating for specific adsorption and synthesis of organic molecules. This review presents processes of clay formation using saponite as a model clay mineral, since it has been shown to catalyze organic reactions, is easy to synthesize in large and pure form, and has tunable properties. In particular, a method involving urea is presented as a reasonable analog of natural processes. The method involves a two-step process: (1) formation of the precursor aluminosilicate gel and (2) hydrolysis of a divalent metal (Mg, Ni, Co, and Zn) by the slow release of ammonia from urea decomposition. The aluminosilicate gels in the first step forms a 4-fold-coordinated Al3+ similar to what is found in nature such as in volcanic glass. The use of urea, a compound figuring in many prebiotic model reactions, circumvents the formation of undesirable brucite, Mg(OH)2, in the final product, by slowly releasing ammonia thereby controlling the hydrolysis of magnesium. In addition, the substitution of B and Ga for Si and Al in saponite is also described. The saponite products from this urea-assisted synthesis were tested as catalysts for several organic reactions, including Friedel–Crafts alkylation, cracking, and isomerization reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Concepcion P. Ponce
- Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines, Miag-ao, Iloilo 5023, Philippines;
| | - J. Theo Kloprogge
- Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines, Miag-ao, Iloilo 5023, Philippines;
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Correspondence:
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Pantaleone S, Rimola A, Sodupe M. Canonical, deprotonated, or zwitterionic? II. A computational study on amino acid interaction with the TiO 2(110) rutile surface: comparison with the anatase (101) surface. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:16862-16876. [PMID: 32666992 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp01429j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The adsorption of 11 amino acids (Gly, Leu, Met, Phe, Ser, Cys, Glu, Gln, Arg, Lys, and His) on the TiO2(110) rutile surface is investigated adopting a theoretical approach, using the PBE-D2* functional as implemented in the periodic VASP code. The adsorption of the amino acids is considered in their canonical, deprotonated and zwitterionic forms. For all cases, the most stable adsorption mode adopts a bidentate (O,O) binding with surface undercoordinated Ti atoms, in agreement with previous experimental and computational studies using glycine as a test case. Such a binding mode is possible due to the surface morphology, because the Ti-Ti distances match very well with the carboxylic O-O distance. The most stable adsorption states are the deprotonated and the zwitterionic ones, the canonical one lying significantly above in energy. The relative stability between the deprotonated and the zwitterionic states results in a delicate trade-off among dative interactions (O, N, and S atoms of the amino acids with Ti atoms of the surface), H-bond interactions, dispersive forces and, to a lesser extent, steric hindrance of the amino acidic lateral chains. Finally, the difference in the amino acid adsorption between the (110) rutile and the (101) anatase surfaces is discussed both from the energetic and surface morphological standpoints, highlighting the larger reactivity of the rutile polymorph in adsorbing and deprotonating the amino acids compared with the anatase one.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Pantaleone
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain.
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10
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Pantaleone S, Salvini C, Zamirri L, Signorile M, Bonino F, Ugliengo P. A quantum mechanical study of dehydration vs. decarbonylation of formamide catalysed by amorphous silica surfaces. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:8353-8363. [PMID: 32266913 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp00572j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Formamide is abundant in the interstellar medium and was also present during the formation of the Solar system through the accretion process of interstellar dust. Under the physicochemical conditions of primordial Earth, formamide could have undergone decomposition, either via dehydration (HCN + H2O) or via decarbonylation (CO + NH3). The first reactive channel provides HCN, which is an essential molecular building block for the formation of RNA/DNA bases, crucial for the emergence of life on Earth. In this work, we studied, at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ level, the two competitive routes of formamide decomposition, i.e. dehydration and decarbonylation, either in liquid formamide (by using the polarization continuum model technique) or at the interface between liquid formamide and amorphous silica. Amorphous silica was adopted as a convenient model of the crystalline silica phases ubiquitously present in the primordial (and actual) Earth's crust, and also due to its relevance in catalysis, adsorption and chromatography. Results show that: (i) silica surface sites catalyse both decomposition channels by reducing the activation barriers by about 100 kJ mol-1 with respect to the reactions in homogeneous medium, and (ii) the dehydration channel, giving rise to HCN, is strongly favoured from a kinetic standpoint over decarbonylation, the latter being, instead, slightly favoured from a thermodynamic point of view.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Pantaleone
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), 38000 Grenoble, France.
| | - Clara Salvini
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS) Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, via P. Giuria 7, IT-10125, Torino, Italy.
| | - Lorenzo Zamirri
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS) Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, via P. Giuria 7, IT-10125, Torino, Italy.
| | - Matteo Signorile
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS) Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, via P. Giuria 7, IT-10125, Torino, Italy.
| | - Francesca Bonino
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS) Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, via P. Giuria 7, IT-10125, Torino, Italy.
| | - Piero Ugliengo
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS) Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, via P. Giuria 7, IT-10125, Torino, Italy.
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11
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Saladino R. Computational investigation of the primordial soup: Comment on "Prebiotic chemistry and origin of life research with atomistic computer simulations" by A. Pérez-Villa, F. Pietrucci, and A. M. Saitta. Phys Life Rev 2020; 34-35:149-152. [PMID: 31974057 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2020.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Saladino
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, Via S. Camillo de Lellis, University of Tuscia, 01100, Viterbo, Italy.
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12
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Kitadai N, Nishiuchi K. Thermodynamic Impact of Mineral Surfaces on Amino Acid Polymerization: Aspartate Dimerization on Goethite. ASTROBIOLOGY 2019; 19:1363-1376. [PMID: 31539273 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This article presents a thermodynamic predictive scheme for amino acid polymerization in the presence of minerals as a function of various environmental parameters (pH, ionic strength, amino acid concentration, and the solid/water ratio) using l-aspartate (Asp) and goethite as a model combination. This prediction is enabled by the combination of the surface adsorption constants of amino acid and its polymer, determined from the extended triple layer model characterization of the corresponding experimental results, with the thermodynamic data of these organic compounds in water reported in the literature. Calculations for the Asp-goethite system showed that the goethite surface drastically shifts the Asp monomer-dipeptide equilibrium toward the dipeptide side; when the dimerization of 0.1 mM Asp was considered in the presence of 10 m2 L-1 of goethite, an Asp dipeptide concentration around 105 times larger was computed to be thermodynamically attainable compared with that in the absence of goethite at acidic pH (4-5) and low ionic strength (0.1 mM NaCl). Under this condition, the dipeptide-to-monomer molecular ratio in the adsorbed state reached 20%. In contrast, no significant enhancement by goethite was predicted at alkaline pH (>8), where the electrostatic interactions of the goethite surface with Asp and Asp dipeptide are weak. Thus, mineral surfaces should have had a significant impact on the thermodynamics of prebiotic peptide bond formation on the early Earth, although the influences likely depended largely on the environmental conditions. Future experimental studies for various amino acid-mineral interactions using our proposed methodology will provide a quantitative constraint on favorable geochemical settings for the chemical evolution on Earth. This approach can also offer important clues for future exploration of extraterrestrial life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norio Kitadai
- Super-cutting-edge Grand and Advanced Research (SUGAR) Program, Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kumiko Nishiuchi
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
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Rimola A, Sodupe M, Ugliengo P. Role of Mineral Surfaces in Prebiotic Chemical Evolution. In Silico Quantum Mechanical Studies. Life (Basel) 2019; 9:E10. [PMID: 30658501 PMCID: PMC6463156 DOI: 10.3390/life9010010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2018] [Revised: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a consensus that the interaction of organic molecules with the surfaces of naturally-occurring minerals might have played a crucial role in chemical evolution and complexification in a prebiotic era. The hurdle of an overly diluted primordial soup occurring in the free ocean may have been overcome by the adsorption and concentration of relevant molecules on the surface of abundant minerals at the sea shore. Specific organic⁻mineral interactions could, at the same time, organize adsorbed molecules in well-defined orientations and activate them toward chemical reactions, bringing to an increase in chemical complexity. As experimental approaches cannot easily provide details at atomic resolution, the role of in silico computer simulations may fill that gap by providing structures and reactive energy profiles at the organic⁻mineral interface regions. Accordingly, numerous computational studies devoted to prebiotic chemical evolution induced by organic⁻mineral interactions have been proposed. The present article aims at reviewing recent in silico works, mainly focusing on prebiotic processes occurring on the mineral surfaces of clays, iron sulfides, titanium dioxide, and silica and silicates simulated through quantum mechanical methods based on the density functional theory (DFT). The DFT is the most accurate way in which chemists may address the behavior of the molecular world through large models mimicking chemical complexity. A perspective on possible future scenarios of research using in silico techniques is finally proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Rimola
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
| | - Mariona Sodupe
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
| | - Piero Ugliengo
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS), Università degli Studi di Torino, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125 Torino, Italy.
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14
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Pantaleone S, Ugliengo P, Sodupe M, Rimola A. When the Surface Matters: Prebiotic Peptide-Bond Formation on the TiO 2 (101) Anatase Surface through Periodic DFT-D2 Simulations. Chemistry 2018; 24:16292-16301. [PMID: 30212609 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201803263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The mechanism of the peptide-bond formation between two glycine (Gly) molecules has been investigated by means of PBE-D2* and PBE0-D2* periodic simulations on the TiO2 (101) anatase surface. This is a process of great relevance both in fundamental prebiotic chemistry, as the reaction univocally belongs to one of the different organizational events that ultimately led to the emergence of life on Earth, as well as from an industrial perspective, since formation of amides is a key reaction for pharmaceutical companies. The efficiency of the surface catalytic sites is demonstrated by comparing the reactions in the gas phase and on the surface. At variance with the uncatalyzed gas-phase reaction, which involves a concerted nucleophilic attack and dehydration step, on the surface these two steps occur along a stepwise mechanism. The presence of surface Lewis and Brönsted sites exerts some catalytic effect by lowering the free energy barrier for the peptide-bond formation by about 6 kcal mol-1 compared to the gas-phase reaction. Moreover, the co-presence of molecules acting as proton-transfer assistants (i.e., H2 O and Gly) provide a more significant kinetic energy barrier decrease. The reaction on the surface is also favorable from a thermodynamic standpoint, involving very large and negative reaction energies. This is due to the fact that the anatase surface also acts as a dehydration agent during the condensation reaction, since the outermost coordinatively unsaturated Ti atoms strongly anchor the released water molecules. Our theoretical results provide a comprehensive atomistic interpretation of the experimental results of Martra et al. (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 4671), in which polyglycine formation was obtained by successive feedings of Gly vapor on TiO2 surfaces in dry conditions and are, therefore, relevant in a prebiotic context envisaging dry and wet cycles occurring, at mineral surfaces, in a small pool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Pantaleone
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Piero Ugliengo
- Dipartimento di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS), Inter-Departmental centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - Mariona Sodupe
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Albert Rimola
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Catalonia, Spain
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15
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Pollack JD, Gerard D, Pearl DK. Uniquely localized intra-molecular amino acid concentrations at the glycolytic enzyme catalytic/active centers of Archaea, Bacteria and Eukaryota are associated with their proposed temporal appearances on earth. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2013; 43:161-87. [PMID: 23715690 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-013-9331-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2012] [Accepted: 04/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The distributions of amino acids at most-conserved sites nearest catalytic/active centers (C/AC) in 4,645 sequences of ten enzymes of the glycolytic Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway in Archaea, Bacteria and Eukaryota are similar to the proposed temporal order of their appearance on Earth. Glycine, isoleucine, leucine, valine, glutamic acid and possibly lysine often described as prebiotic, i.e., existing or occurring before the emergence of life, were localized in positional and conservational defined aggregations in all enzymes of all Domains. The distributions of all 20 biologic amino acids in most-conserved sites nearest their C/ACs were quite different either from distributions in sites less-conserved and further from their C/ACs or from all amino acids regardless of their position or conservation. The major concentrations of glycine, e.g., perhaps the earliest prebiotic amino acid, occupies ≈ 16 % of all the most-conserved sites within a volume of ≈ 7-8 Å radius from their C/ACs and decreases linearly towards the molecule's peripheries. Spatially localized major concentrations of isoleucine, leucine and valine are in the mid-conserved and mid-distant sites from their C/ACs in protein interiors. Lysine and glutamic acid comprise ≈ 25-30 % of all amino acids within an irregular volume bounded by ≈ 24-28 Å radii from their C/ACs at the most-distant least-conserved sites. The unreported characteristics of these amino acids: their spatially and conservationally identified concentrations in Archaea, Bacteria and Eukaryota, suggest some common structural organization of glycolytic enzymes that may be relevant to their evolution and that of other proteins. We discuss our data in relation to enzyme evolution, their reported prebiotic putative temporal appearances on Earth, abundances, biological "cost", neighbor-sequence preferences or "ordering" and some thermodynamic parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Dennis Pollack
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics, The College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
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Cleaves HJ, Michalkova Scott A, Hill FC, Leszczynski J, Sahai N, Hazen R. Mineral-organic interfacial processes: potential roles in the origins of life. Chem Soc Rev 2012; 41:5502-25. [PMID: 22743683 DOI: 10.1039/c2cs35112a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Life is believed to have originated on Earth ∼4.4-3.5 Ga ago, via processes in which organic compounds supplied by the environment self-organized, in some geochemical environmental niches, into systems capable of replication with hereditary mutation. This process is generally supposed to have occurred in an aqueous environment and, likely, in the presence of minerals. Mineral surfaces present rich opportunities for heterogeneous catalysis and concentration which may have significantly altered and directed the process of prebiotic organic complexification leading to life. We review here general concepts in prebiotic mineral-organic interfacial processes, as well as recent advances in the study of mineral surface-organic interactions of potential relevance to understanding the origin of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- H James Cleaves
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Washington, DC 20016, USA
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17
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Ugliengo P, Rimola A, Sodupe M. In silico study of the interstellar prebiotic formation and delivery of glycine. RENDICONTI LINCEI 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s12210-011-0122-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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18
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Hazen RM, Sverjensky DA. Mineral surfaces, geochemical complexities, and the origins of life. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2010; 2:a002162. [PMID: 20452963 PMCID: PMC2857174 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a002162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Crystalline surfaces of common rock-forming minerals are likely to have played several important roles in life's geochemical origins. Transition metal sulfides and oxides promote a variety of organic reactions, including nitrogen reduction, hydroformylation, amination, and Fischer-Tropsch-type synthesis. Fine-grained clay minerals and hydroxides facilitate lipid self-organization and condensation polymerization reactions, notably of RNA monomers. Surfaces of common rock-forming oxides, silicates, and carbonates select and concentrate specific amino acids, sugars, and other molecular species, while potentially enhancing their thermal stabilities. Chiral surfaces of these minerals also have been shown to separate left- and right-handed molecules. Thus, mineral surfaces may have contributed centrally to the linked prebiotic problems of containment and organization by promoting the transition from a dilute prebiotic "soup" to highly ordered local domains of key biomolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M Hazen
- Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, USA.
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19
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Childers WS, Ni R, Mehta AK, Lynn DG. Peptide membranes in chemical evolution. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2009; 13:652-9. [PMID: 19879180 PMCID: PMC2801140 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2009.09.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2009] [Revised: 09/23/2009] [Accepted: 09/28/2009] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Simple surfactants achieve remarkable long-range order in aqueous environments. This organizing potential is seen most dramatically in biological membranes where phospholipid assemblies both define cell boundaries and provide a ubiquitous structural scaffold for controlling cellular chemistry. Here we consider simple peptides that also spontaneously assemble into exceptionally ordered scaffolds, and review early data suggesting that these structures maintain the functional diversity of proteins. We argue that such scaffolds can achieve the required molecular order and catalytic agility for the emergence of chemical evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Seth Childers
- Center for Fundamental and Applied Molecular Evolution and Center for Chemical Evolution, Department of Chemistry and Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
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