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Ishikawa A, Kebukawa Y, Kobayashi K, Yoda I. Gamma-Ray-Induced Amino Acid Formation during Aqueous Alteration in Small Bodies: The Effects of Compositions of Starting Solutions. Life (Basel) 2024; 14:103. [PMID: 38255718 PMCID: PMC10817335 DOI: 10.3390/life14010103] [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: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Organic compounds, such as amino acids, are essential for the origin of life, and they may have been delivered to the prebiotic Earth from extra-terrestrial sources, such as carbonaceous chondrites. In the parent bodies of carbonaceous chondrites, the radioactive decays of short-lived radionuclides, such as 26Al, cause the melting of ice, and aqueous alteration occurs in the early stages of solar system formation. Many experimental studies have shown that complex organic matter, including amino acids and high-molecular-weight organic compounds, is produced by such hydrothermal processes. On the other hand, radiation, particularly gamma rays from radionuclides, can contribute to the formation of amino acids from simple molecules such as formaldehyde and ammonia. In this study, we investigated the details of gamma-ray-induced amino acid formation, focusing on the effects of different starting materials on aqueous solutions of formaldehyde, ammonia, methanol, and glycolaldehyde with various compositions, as well as hexamethylenetetramine. Alanine and glycine were the most abundantly formed amino acids after acid hydrolysis of gamma-ray-irradiated products. Amino acid formation increased with increasing gamma-ray irradiation doses. Lower amounts of ammonia relative to formaldehyde produced more amino acids. Glycolaldehyde significantly increased amino acid yields. Our results indicated that glycolaldehyde formation from formaldehyde enhanced by gamma rays is key for the subsequent production of amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akari Ishikawa
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan (K.K.)
| | - Yoko Kebukawa
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan (K.K.)
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Kensei Kobayashi
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan (K.K.)
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Isao Yoda
- Co60 Irradiation Facility, Laboratory for Zero-Carbon Energy, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
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Kebukawa Y, Asano S, Tani A, Yoda I, Kobayashi K. Gamma-Ray-Induced Amino Acid Formation in Aqueous Small Bodies in the Early Solar System. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2022; 8:1664-1671. [PMID: 36589881 PMCID: PMC9801502 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.2c00588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Carbonaceous chondrites contain life's essential building blocks, including amino acids, and their delivery of organic compounds would have played a key role in life's emergence on Earth. Aqueous alteration of carbonaceous chondrites is a widespread process induced by the heat produced by radioactive decay of nuclides like 26Al. Simple ubiquitous molecules like formaldehyde and ammonia could produce various organic compounds, including amino acids and complex organic macromolecules. However, the effects of radiation on such organic chemistry are unknown. Hence, the effects of gamma rays from radioactive decays on the formation of amino acids in meteorite parent bodies are demonstrated here. We discovered that gamma-ray irradiation of aqueous formaldehyde and ammonia solutions afforded a variety of amino acids. The amino acid yields had a linear relationship with the total gamma-ray dose but were unaffected by the irradiation dose rates. Given the gamma-ray production rates in the meteorite parent bodies, we estimated that the production rates were reasonable compared to amino acid abundances in carbonaceous chondrites. Our findings indicate that gamma rays may contribute to amino acid formation in parent bodies during aqueous alteration. In this paper, we propose a new prebiotic amino acid formation pathway that contributes to life's origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoko Kebukawa
- Department
of Chemistry and Life Science, Yokohama
National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa240-8501, Japan
| | - Shinya Asano
- Department
of Chemistry and Life Science, Yokohama
National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa240-8501, Japan
| | - Atsushi Tani
- Graduate
School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, 3-11
Tsurukabuto, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo657-8501, Japan
| | - Isao Yoda
- Co60
irradiation facility, Laboratory for Zero-Carbon Energy, Institute
of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute
of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan
| | - Kensei Kobayashi
- Department
of Chemistry and Life Science, Yokohama
National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa240-8501, Japan
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Giese CC, ten Kate IL, van den Ende MPA, Wolthers M, Aponte JC, Camprubi E, Dworkin JP, Elsila JE, Hangx S, King HE, Mclain HL, Plümper O, Tielens AGG. Experimental and Theoretical Constraints on Amino Acid Formation from PAHs in Asteroidal Settings. ACS EARTH & SPACE CHEMISTRY 2022; 6:468-481. [PMID: 35330631 PMCID: PMC8935471 DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.1c00329] [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: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Amino acids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) belong to the range of organic compounds detected in meteorites. In this study, we tested empirically and theoretically if PAHs are precursors for amino acids in carbonaceous chondrites, as previously suggested. We conducted experiments to synthesize amino acids from fluoranthene (PAH), with ammonium bicarbonate as a source for ammonia and carbon dioxide under mimicked asteroidal conditions. In our thermodynamic calculations, we extended our analysis to additional PAH-amino acid combinations. We explored 36 reactions involving the PAHs naphthalene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, triphenylene, and coronene and the amino acids glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine. Our experiments do not show the formation of amino acids, whereas our theoretical results hint that PAHs could be precursors of amino acids in carbonaceous chondrites at low temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia-Corina Giese
- Leiden
Observatory, Faculty of Science, Leiden
University, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department
of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Inge Loes ten Kate
- Department
of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Mariette Wolthers
- Department
of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - José C. Aponte
- Solar
System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
- Department
of Physics, The Catholic University of America, Washington D. C. 20064, United States
- Center for
Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - Eloi Camprubi
- Department
of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jason P. Dworkin
- Solar
System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - Jamie E. Elsila
- Solar
System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - Suzanne Hangx
- Department
of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Helen E. King
- Department
of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Hannah L. Mclain
- Solar
System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
- Department
of Physics, The Catholic University of America, Washington D. C. 20064, United States
- Center for
Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - Oliver Plümper
- Department
of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Kobayashi K, Mita H, Kebukawa Y, Nakagawa K, Kaneko T, Obayashi Y, Sato T, Yokoo T, Minematsu S, Fukuda H, Oguri Y, Yoda I, Yoshida S, Kanda K, Imai E, Yano H, Hashimoto H, Yokobori SI, Yamagishi A. Space Exposure of Amino Acids and Their Precursors during the Tanpopo Mission. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:1479-1493. [PMID: 34793260 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Amino acids have been detected in extraterrestrial bodies such as carbonaceous chondrites (CCs), which suggests that extraterrestrial organics could be the source of the first life on Earth, and interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) or micrometeorites (MMs) are promising carriers of extraterrestrial organic carbon. Some amino acids found in CCs are amino acid precursors, but these have not been well characterized. The Tanpopo mission was conducted in Earth orbit from 2015 to 2019, and the stability of glycine (Gly), hydantoin (Hyd), isovaline (Ival), 5-ethyl-5-methylhydantoin (EMHyd), and complex organics formed by proton irradiation from CO, NH3, and H2O (CAW) in space were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and/or gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The target substances showed a logarithmic decomposition over 1-3 years upon space exposure. Recoveries of Gly and CAW were higher than those of Hyd, Ival, and EMHyd. Ground simulation experiments showed different results: Hyd was more stable than Gly. Solar ultraviolet light was fatal to all organics, and they required protection when carried by IDPs/MMs. Thus, complex amino acid precursors (such as CAW) were possibly more robust than simple precursors during transportation to primitive Earth. The Tanpopo 2 mission is currently being conducted to expose organics to more probable space conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kensei Kobayashi
- Department of Chemistry, Yokohama National University, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Hajime Mita
- Department of Life, Environment and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka Institute of Technology, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yoko Kebukawa
- Department of Chemistry, Yokohama National University, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Kazumichi Nakagawa
- The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takeo Kaneko
- Department of Chemistry, Yokohama National University, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Yumiko Obayashi
- Department of Chemistry, Yokohama National University, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Tomohito Sato
- Department of Chemistry, Yokohama National University, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Takuya Yokoo
- Department of Chemistry, Yokohama National University, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Saaya Minematsu
- Department of Life, Environment and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka Institute of Technology, Fukuoka, Japan
| | | | | | - Isao Yoda
- Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoshi Yoshida
- National Institute for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Inage-ku, Chiba, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Kanda
- University of Hyogo, Kamigori-cho, Ako-gun, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Eiichi Imai
- Department of Bioengineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan
| | - Hajime Yano
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (ISAS/JAXA), Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Hashimoto
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (ISAS/JAXA), Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichi Yokobori
- School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akihiko Yamagishi
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (ISAS/JAXA), Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
- School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
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