1
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Nicholls JWF, Chin JP, Williams TA, Lenton TM, O’Flaherty V, McGrath JW. On the potential roles of phosphorus in the early evolution of energy metabolism. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1239189. [PMID: 37601379 PMCID: PMC10433651 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1239189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Energy metabolism in extant life is centered around phosphate and the energy-dense phosphoanhydride bonds of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a deeply conserved and ancient bioenergetic system. Yet, ATP synthesis relies on numerous complex enzymes and has an autocatalytic requirement for ATP itself. This implies the existence of evolutionarily simpler bioenergetic pathways and potentially primordial alternatives to ATP. The centrality of phosphate in modern bioenergetics, coupled with the energetic properties of phosphorylated compounds, may suggest that primordial precursors to ATP also utilized phosphate in compounds such as pyrophosphate, acetyl phosphate and polyphosphate. However, bioavailable phosphate may have been notably scarce on the early Earth, raising doubts about the roles that phosphorylated molecules might have played in the early evolution of life. A largely overlooked phosphorus redox cycle on the ancient Earth might have provided phosphorus and energy, with reduced phosphorus compounds potentially playing a key role in the early evolution of energy metabolism. Here, we speculate on the biological phosphorus compounds that may have acted as primordial energy currencies, sources of environmental energy, or sources of phosphorus for the synthesis of phosphorylated energy currencies. This review encompasses discussions on the evolutionary history of modern bioenergetics, and specifically those pathways with primordial relevance, and the geochemistry of bioavailable phosphorus on the ancient Earth. We highlight the importance of phosphorus, not only in the form of phosphate, to early biology and suggest future directions of study that may improve our understanding of the early evolution of bioenergetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack W. F. Nicholls
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Jason P. Chin
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Tom A. Williams
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy M. Lenton
- Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | | | - John W. McGrath
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
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2
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Gull M, Feng T, Cruz HA, Krishnamurthy R, Pasek MA. Prebiotic Chemistry of Phosphite: Mild Thermal Routes to Form Condensed-P Energy Currency Molecules Leading up to the Formation of Organophosphorus Compounds. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13040920. [PMID: 37109449 PMCID: PMC10144983 DOI: 10.3390/life13040920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The in-fall of meteorites and interstellar dust particles during the Hadean–Archean heavy bombardment may have provided the early Earth with various reduced oxidation state phosphorus compounds and minerals, including phosphite (HPO32−)([Pi(III)]). The ion phosphite ([Pi(III)])has been postulated to be ubiquitous on the early Earth and consequently could have played a role in the emergence of organophosphorus compounds and other prebiotically relevant P species such as condensed P compounds, e.g., pyrophosphite ([PPi(III)]) and isohypophosphate ([PPi(III–V)]). In the present study, we show that phosphite ([Pi(III)]) oxidizes under mild heating conditions (e.g., wet–dry cycles and a prebiotic scenario mimicking a mildly hot-evaporating/drying pool on the early Earth at 78–83 °C) in the presence of urea and other additives, resulting in changes to orthophosphate ([Pi(V)]) alongside the formation of reactive condensed P compounds (e.g., pyrophosphite ([PPi(III)]) and isohypophosphate ([PPi(III–V)])) through a one-pot mechanism. Additionally, we also show that phosphite ([Pi(III)]) and the condensed P compounds readily react with organics (nucleosides and organic alcohol) to form organophosphorus compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maheen Gull
- School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33584, USA
| | - Tian Feng
- School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33584, USA
| | - Harold A. Cruz
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | | | - Matthew A. Pasek
- School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33584, USA
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3
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Pinna S, Kunz C, Halpern A, Harrison SA, Jordan SF, Ward J, Werner F, Lane N. A prebiotic basis for ATP as the universal energy currency. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001437. [PMID: 36194581 PMCID: PMC9531788 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
ATP is universally conserved as the principal energy currency in cells, driving metabolism through phosphorylation and condensation reactions. Such deep conservation suggests that ATP arose at an early stage of biochemical evolution. Yet purine synthesis requires 6 phosphorylation steps linked to ATP hydrolysis. This autocatalytic requirement for ATP to synthesize ATP implies the need for an earlier prebiotic ATP equivalent, which could drive protometabolism before purine synthesis. Why this early phosphorylating agent was replaced, and specifically with ATP rather than other nucleoside triphosphates, remains a mystery. Here, we show that the deep conservation of ATP might reflect its prebiotic chemistry in relation to another universally conserved intermediate, acetyl phosphate (AcP), which bridges between thioester and phosphate metabolism by linking acetyl CoA to the substrate-level phosphorylation of ADP. We confirm earlier results showing that AcP can phosphorylate ADP to ATP at nearly 20% yield in water in the presence of Fe3+ ions. We then show that Fe3+ and AcP are surprisingly favoured. A wide range of prebiotically relevant ions and minerals failed to catalyse ADP phosphorylation. From a panel of prebiotic phosphorylating agents, only AcP, and to a lesser extent carbamoyl phosphate, showed any significant phosphorylating potential. Critically, AcP did not phosphorylate any other nucleoside diphosphate. We use these data, reaction kinetics, and molecular dynamic simulations to infer a possible mechanism. Our findings might suggest that the reason ATP is universally conserved across life is that its formation is chemically favoured in aqueous solution under mild prebiotic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana Pinna
- Centre for Life’s Origins and Evolution (CLOE), Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Darwin Building, London, United Kingdom
| | - Cäcilia Kunz
- Centre for Life’s Origins and Evolution (CLOE), Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Darwin Building, London, United Kingdom
| | - Aaron Halpern
- Centre for Life’s Origins and Evolution (CLOE), Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Darwin Building, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart A. Harrison
- Centre for Life’s Origins and Evolution (CLOE), Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Darwin Building, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sean F. Jordan
- Centre for Life’s Origins and Evolution (CLOE), Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Darwin Building, London, United Kingdom
| | - John Ward
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Finn Werner
- Institute for Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, Darwin Building, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nick Lane
- Centre for Life’s Origins and Evolution (CLOE), Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Darwin Building, London, United Kingdom
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4
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Zhai F, Xin T, Geeson MB, Cummins CC. Sustainable Production of Reduced Phosphorus Compounds: Mechanochemical Hydride Phosphorylation Using Condensed Phosphates as a Route to Phosphite. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2022; 8:332-339. [PMID: 35350608 PMCID: PMC8949633 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.1c01381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
In pursuit of a more sustainable production of phosphorous acid (H3PO3), a versatile chemical with phosphorus in the +3 oxidation state, we herein report that condensed phosphates can be employed to phosphorylate hydride reagents under solvent-free mechanochemical conditions to furnish phosphite (HPO3 2-). Using potassium hydride as the hydride source, sodium trimetaphosphate (Na3P3O9), triphosphate (Na5P3O10), pyrophosphate (Na4P2O7), fluorophosphate (Na2PO3F), and polyphosphate ("(NaPO3) n ") engendered phosphite in optimized yields of 44, 58, 44, 84, and 55% based on total P content, respectively. Formation of overreduced products including hypophosphite (H2PO2 -) was identified as a competing process, and mechanistic investigations revealed that hydride attack on in-situ-generated phosphorylated phosphite species is a potent pathway for overreduction. The phosphite generated from our method was easily isolated in the form of barium phosphite, a useful intermediate for production of phosphorous acid. This method circumvents the need to pass through white phosphorus (P4) as a high-energy intermediate and mitigates involvement of environmentally hazardous chemicals. A bioproduced polyphosphate was found to be a viable starting material for the production of phosphite. These results demonstrate the possibility of accessing reduced phosphorus compounds in a more sustainable manner and, more importantly, a means to close the modern phosphorus cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Zhai
- Department
of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Tiansi Xin
- Department
of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Michael B. Geeson
- Department
of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Christopher C. Cummins
- Department
of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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5
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Maguire OR, Smokers IBA, Huck WTS. A physicochemical orthophosphate cycle via a kinetically stable thermodynamically activated intermediate enables mild prebiotic phosphorylations. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5517. [PMID: 34535651 PMCID: PMC8448844 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25555-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The incorporation of orthophosphate from scarce geochemical sources into the organic compounds essential for life under mild conditions is a fundamental challenge for prebiotic chemistry. Here we report a prebiotic system capable of overcoming this challenge by taking inspiration from extant life's recycling of orthophosphate via its conversion into kinetically stable thermodynamically activated (KSTA) nucleotide triphosphates (e.g. ATP). We separate the activation of orthophosphate from its transfer to organic compounds by, crucially, first accumulating a KSTA phosphoramidate. We use cyanate to activate orthophosphate in aqueous solution under mild conditions and then react it with imidazole to accumulate the KSTA imidazole phosphate. In a paste, imidazole phosphate phosphorylates all the essential building blocks of life. Integration of this chemistry into a wet/dry cycle enables the continuous recycling of orthophosphate and the accretion of phosphorylated compounds. This system functions even at low reagent concentrations due to solutes concentrating during evaporation. Our system demonstrates a general strategy for how to maximise the usage of scarce resources based upon cycles which accumulate and then release activated intermediates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver R Maguire
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525, AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Iris B A Smokers
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525, AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Wilhelm T S Huck
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525, AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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6
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Moreras-Marti A, Fox-Powell M, Zerkle AL, Stueeken E, Gazquez F, Brand HEA, Galloway T, Purkamo L, Cousins CR. Volcanic controls on the microbial habitability of Mars-analogue hydrothermal environments. GEOBIOLOGY 2021; 19:489-509. [PMID: 34143931 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Due to their potential to support chemolithotrophic life, relic hydrothermal systems on Mars are a key target for astrobiological exploration. We analysed water and sediments at six geothermal pools from the rhyolitic Kerlingarfjöll and basaltic Kverkfjöll volcanoes in Iceland, to investigate the localised controls on the habitability of these systems in terms of microbial community function. Our results show that host lithology plays a minor role in pool geochemistry and authigenic mineralogy, with the system geochemistry primarily controlled by deep volcanic processes. We find that by dictating pool water pH and redox conditions, deep volcanic processes are the primary control on microbial community structure and function, with water input from the proximal glacier acting as a secondary control by regulating pool temperatures. Kerlingarfjöll pools have reduced, circum-neutral CO2 -rich waters with authigenic calcite-, pyrite- and kaolinite-bearing sediments. The dominant metabolisms inferred from community profiles obtained by 16S rRNA gene sequencing are methanogenesis, respiration of sulphate and sulphur (S0 ) oxidation. In contrast, Kverkfjöll pools have oxidised, acidic (pH < 3) waters with high concentrations of SO42- and high argillic alteration, resulting in Al-phyllosilicate-rich sediments. The prevailing metabolisms here are iron oxidation, sulphur oxidation and nitrification. Where analogous ice-fed hydrothermal systems existed on early Mars, similar volcanic processes would likely have controlled localised metabolic potential and thus habitability. Moreover, such systems offer several habitability advantages, including a localised source of metabolic redox pairs for chemolithotrophic microorganisms and accessible trace metals. Similar pools could have provided transient environments for life on Mars; when paired with surface or near-surface ice, these habitability niches could have persisted into the Amazonian. Additionally, they offer a confined site for biosignature formation and deposition that lends itself well to in situ robotic exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arola Moreras-Marti
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Mark Fox-Powell
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
- AstrobiologyOU, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - Aubrey L Zerkle
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Eva Stueeken
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Fernando Gazquez
- Water Resources and Environmental Geology Research Group, Department of Biology and Geology, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
| | | | - Toni Galloway
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | | | - Claire R Cousins
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
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7
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Rimmer PB, Thompson SJ, Xu J, Russell DA, Green NJ, Ritson DJ, Sutherland JD, Queloz DP. Timescales for Prebiotic Photochemistry Under Realistic Surface Ultraviolet Conditions. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:1099-1120. [PMID: 34152196 PMCID: PMC8570677 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Ultraviolet (UV) light has long been invoked as a source of energy for prebiotic chemical synthesis, but experimental support does not involve sources of UV light that look like the young Sun. Here we experimentally investigate whether the UV flux available on the surface of early Earth, given a favorable atmosphere, can facilitate a variety of prebiotic chemical syntheses. We construct a solar simulator for the UV light of the faint young Sun on the surface of early Earth, called StarLab. We then attempt a series of reactions testing different aspects of a prebiotic chemical scenario involving hydrogen cyanide (HCN), sulfites, and sulfides under the UV light of StarLab, including hypophosphite oxidation by UV light and hydrogen sulfide, photoreduction of HCN with bisulfite, the photoanomerization of α-thiocytidine, the production of a chemical precursor of a potentially prebiotic activating agent (nitroprusside), the photoreduction of thioanhydrouridine and thioanhydroadenosine, and the oxidation of ethanol (EtOH) by photochemically generated hydroxyl radicals. We compare the output of StarLab to the light of the faint young Sun to constrain the timescales over which these reactions would occur on the surface of early Earth. We predict that hypophosphite oxidation, HCN reduction, and photoproduction of nitroprusside would all operate on the surface of early Earth in a matter of days to weeks. The photoanomerization of α-thiocytidine would take months to complete, and the production of oxidation products from hydroxyl radicals would take years. The photoreduction of thioanhydrouridine with hydrogen sulfide did not succeed even after a long period of irradiation, providing a lower limit on the timescale of several years. The photoreduction of thioanhydroadenosine with bisulfite produced 2'-deoxyriboadenosine (dA) on the timescale of days. This suggests the plausibility of the photoproduction of purine deoxyribonucleotides, such as the photoproduction of simple sugars, proceeds more efficiently in the presence of bisulfite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul B. Rimmer
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Address correspondence to: Paul B. Rimmer, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jianfeng Xu
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | - Didier P. Queloz
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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8
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Gaylor MO, Miro P, Vlaisavljevich B, Kondage AAS, Barge LM, Omran A, Videau P, Swenson VA, Leinen LJ, Fitch NW, Cole KL, Stone C, Drummond SM, Rageth K, Dewitt LR, González Henao S, Karanauskus V. Plausible Emergence and Self Assembly of a Primitive Phospholipid from Reduced Phosphorus on the Primordial Earth. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2021; 51:185-213. [PMID: 34279769 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-021-09613-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
How life arose on the primitive Earth is one of the biggest questions in science. Biomolecular emergence scenarios have proliferated in the literature but accounting for the ubiquity of oxidized (+ 5) phosphate (PO43-) in extant biochemistries has been challenging due to the dearth of phosphate and molecular oxygen on the primordial Earth. A compelling body of work suggests that exogenous schreibersite ((Fe,Ni)3P) was delivered to Earth via meteorite impacts during the Heavy Bombardment (ca. 4.1-3.8 Gya) and there converted to reduced P oxyanions (e.g., phosphite (HPO32-) and hypophosphite (H2PO2-)) and phosphonates. Inspired by this idea, we review the relevant literature to deduce a plausible reduced phospholipid analog of modern phosphatidylcholines that could have emerged in a primordial hydrothermal setting. A shallow alkaline lacustrine basin underlain by active hydrothermal fissures and meteoritic schreibersite-, clay-, and metal-enriched sediments is envisioned. The water column is laden with known and putative primordial hydrothermal reagents. Small system dimensions and thermal- and UV-driven evaporation further concentrate chemical precursors. We hypothesize that a reduced phospholipid arises from Fischer-Tropsch-type (FTT) production of a C8 alkanoic acid, which condenses with an organophosphinate (derived from schreibersite corrosion to hypophosphite with subsequent methylation/oxidation), to yield a reduced protophospholipid. This then condenses with an α-amino nitrile (derived from Strecker-type reactions) to form the polar head. Preliminary modeling results indicate that reduced phospholipids do not aggregate rapidly; however, single layer micelles are stable up to aggregates with approximately 100 molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael O Gaylor
- Department of Chemistry, Dakota State University, Madison, SD, 57042, USA.
| | - Pere Miro
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, 57069, USA
| | - Bess Vlaisavljevich
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, 57069, USA
| | | | - Laura M Barge
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA
| | - Arthur Omran
- School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA.,Department of Chemistry, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Patrick Videau
- Department of Biology, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR, 97520, USA.,Bayer Crop Science, Chesterfield, MO, 63017, USA
| | - Vaille A Swenson
- Department of Chemistry, Dakota State University, Madison, SD, 57042, USA.,Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Lucas J Leinen
- Department of Chemistry, Dakota State University, Madison, SD, 57042, USA
| | - Nathaniel W Fitch
- Department of Chemistry, Dakota State University, Madison, SD, 57042, USA
| | - Krista L Cole
- Department of Chemistry, Dakota State University, Madison, SD, 57042, USA
| | - Chris Stone
- Department of Biology, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR, 97520, USA
| | - Samuel M Drummond
- Department of Chemistry, Dakota State University, Madison, SD, 57042, USA
| | - Kayli Rageth
- Department of Chemistry, Dakota State University, Madison, SD, 57042, USA
| | - Lillian R Dewitt
- Department of Chemistry, Dakota State University, Madison, SD, 57042, USA
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9
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Piast RW, Garstka M, Misicka A, Wieczorek RM. Small Cyclic Peptide for Pyrophosphate Dependent Ligation in Prebiotic Environments. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10070103. [PMID: 32630714 PMCID: PMC7400013 DOI: 10.3390/life10070103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
All life on Earth uses one universal biochemistry stemming from one universal common ancestor of all known living organisms. One of the most striking features of this universal biochemistry is its utter dependence on phosphate group transfer between biochemical molecules. Both nucleic acid and peptide biological synthesis relies heavily on phosphate group transfer. Such dependents strongly indicate very early incorporation of phosphate chemistry in the origin of life. Perhaps as early as prebiotic soup stage. We report here on a short cyclic peptide, c(RPDDHR), designed rationally for pyrophosphate interaction, which is able to create a new amide bond dependent on the presence of pyrophosphate. We believe this result to be a first step in the exploration of Phosphate Transfer Catalysts that must have been present and active in prebiotic soup and must have laid down foundations for the universal bioenergetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radosław W. Piast
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland; (R.W.P.); (A.M.)
| | - Maciej Garstka
- Department of Metabolic Regulation, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Aleksandra Misicka
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland; (R.W.P.); (A.M.)
| | - Rafał M. Wieczorek
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland; (R.W.P.); (A.M.)
- Correspondence:
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10
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A Constructive Way to Think about Different Hydrothermal Environments for the Origins of Life. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10040036. [PMID: 32283673 PMCID: PMC7235985 DOI: 10.3390/life10040036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The question of where life originated has been contentious for a very long time. Scientists have invoked many environments to address this question. Often, we find ourselves beholden to a location, especially if we think life originated once and then evolved into the myriad forms we now know today. In this brief commentary, we wish to lay out the following understanding: hydrothermal environments are energetically robust locations for the origins and early evolution of life as we know it. Two environments typify hydrothermal conditions, hydrothermal fields on dry land and submarine hydrothermal vents. If life originated only once, then we must choose between these two environments; however, there is no reason to assume life emerged only once. We conclude with the idea that rather than having an “either or” mind set about the origin of life a “yes and” mind set might be a better paradigm with which to problem solve within this field. Finally, we shall discuss further research with regards to both environments.
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11
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Seio K, Shiozawa T, Sugiyama D, Ohno K, Tomori T, Masaki Y. 31P NMR Study on the Reactions of Amino Acids and Sugar Derivatives with Pyrophosphorous Acid as a Possible Prebiotic Phosphonylating Agent. BULLETIN OF THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN 2019. [DOI: 10.1246/bcsj.20180392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kohji Seio
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-8501, Japan
| | - Takashi Shiozawa
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-8501, Japan
| | - Daiki Sugiyama
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-8501, Japan
| | - Kentaro Ohno
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-8501, Japan
| | - Takahito Tomori
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-8501, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Masaki
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-8501, Japan
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12
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Cousins CR, Fogel M, Bowden R, Crawford I, Boyce A, Cockell C, Gunn M. Biogeochemical probing of microbial communities in a basalt-hosted hot spring at Kverkfjöll volcano, Iceland. GEOBIOLOGY 2018; 16:507-521. [PMID: 29856116 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We investigated bacterial and archaeal communities along an ice-fed surficial hot spring at Kverkfjöll volcano-a partially ice-covered basaltic volcano at Vatnajökull glacier, Iceland, using biomolecular (16S rRNA, apsA, mcrA, amoA, nifH genes) and stable isotope techniques. The hot spring environment is characterized by high temperatures and low dissolved oxygen concentrations at the source (68°C and <1 mg/L (±0.1%)) changing to lower temperatures and higher dissolved oxygen downstream (34.7°C and 5.9 mg/L), with sulfate the dominant anion (225 mg/L at the source). Sediments are comprised of detrital basalt, low-temperature alteration phases and pyrite, with <0.4 wt. % total organic carbon (TOC). 16S rRNA gene profiles reveal that organisms affiliated with Hydrogenobaculum (54%-87% bacterial population) and Thermoproteales (35%-63% archaeal population) dominate the micro-oxic hot spring source, while sulfur-oxidizing archaea (Sulfolobales, 57%-82%), and putative sulfur-oxidizing and heterotrophic bacterial groups dominate oxic downstream environments. The δ13 Corg (‰ V-PDB) values for sediment TOC and microbial biomass range from -9.4‰ at the spring's source decreasing to -12.6‰ downstream. A reverse effect isotope fractionation of ~3‰ between sediment sulfide (δ34 S ~0‰) and dissolved water sulfate (δ34 S +3.2‰), and δ18 O values of ~ -5.3‰ suggest pyrite forms abiogenically from volcanic sulfide, followed by abiogenic and microbial oxidation. These environments represent an unexplored surficial geothermal environment analogous to transient volcanogenic habitats during putative "snowball Earth" scenarios and volcano-ice geothermal environments on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire R Cousins
- School of Earth and Environmental Science, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Marilyn Fogel
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California
| | - Roxane Bowden
- Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia
| | | | | | - Charles Cockell
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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13
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Fiore M, Madanamoothoo W, Berlioz-Barbier A, Maniti O, Girard-Egrot A, Buchet R, Strazewski P. Giant vesicles from rehydrated crude mixtures containing unexpected mixtures of amphiphiles formed under plausibly prebiotic conditions. Org Biomol Chem 2018; 15:4231-4240. [PMID: 28466946 DOI: 10.1039/c7ob00708f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Giant lipid vesicles resemble compartments of biological cells, mimicking them in their dimension, membrane structure and partly in their membrane composition. The spontanenous appearance of closed membranes composed of bilayers of self-assembling amphiphiles was likely a prerequisite for Darwinian competitive behavior to set in at the molecular level. Such compartments should be dynamic in their membrane composition (evolvable), and sufficiently stable to harbor macromolecules (leak-free), yet semi-permeable for reactive small molecules to get across the membrane (stay away from chemical equilibrium). Here we describe bottom-up experiments simulating prebiotic environments that support the formation of simple amphiphilic molecules capable of self-assembling into vesicular objects on the micrometer scale. Long-chain alkyl phosphates, together with related amphiphilic compounds, were formed under simulated prebiotic phosphorylation conditions by using cyanamide, a recognized prebiotic chemical activator and a precursor for several compound classes. Crude dry material of the thus obtained prebiotic mixtures formed multilamellar giant vesicles once rehydrated at the appropriate pH and in the presence of plausibly prebiotic co-surfactants, as observed by optical microscopy. The size and the shape of lipid aggregates tentatively suggest that prebiotic lipid assemblies could encapsulate peptides or nucleic acids that could be formed under similar chemical prebiotic conditions. The formation of prebiotic amphiphiles was monitored by using TLC, IR, NMR and ESI-MS and UPLC-HRMS. In addition we provide a spectroscopic analysis of cyanamide under simulated prebiotic conditions in the presence of phosphate sources and spectroscopic analysis of O-phosphorylethanolamine as a plausible precursor for phosphoethanolamine lipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Fiore
- Institut de Chimie et Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires, Université de Lyon, Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 43 bdv du 11 Novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France.
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14
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Koenig M. Primitive Dark-Phase Cycle of Photosynthesis at the Origin of Life. J Mol Evol 2018; 86:167-171. [DOI: 10.1007/s00239-018-9840-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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15
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Chemical Transformations in Proto-Cytoplasmic Media. Phosphorus Coupling in the Silica Hydrogel Phase. Life (Basel) 2017; 7:life7040045. [PMID: 29156594 PMCID: PMC5745558 DOI: 10.3390/life7040045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Revised: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been proposed that prebiotic chemical studies on the emergence of primitive life would be most relevant when performed in a hydrogel, rather than an aqueous, environment. In this paper we describe the ambient temperature coupling of phosphorus oxyacids [Pi] mediated by Fe(II) under aerobic conditions within a silica hydrogel (SHG) environment. We have chosen to examine SHGs as they have considerable geological precedence as key phases in silicification en route to rock formation. Following a description of the preparation and characterization studies on our SHG formulations, coupling experiments between Pi species are described across multiple permutations of (i) Pi compound; (ii) gel formulation; (iii) metal salt additive; and (iv) pH-modifying agent. The results suggest that successful Pi coupling, indicated by observation of pyrophosphate [PPi(V)] via 31P-NMR spectroscopy, takes place when the following components are present: (i) a mixture of mixture of Pi(III) and Pi(V) or pure PPi(III– V); (ii) Fe(II); (iii) acetic or formic acid (not hydrochloric acid); (iv) aerobic conditions or the presence of H2O2 as an oxidant; and (v) the presence of a gel system. On the basis of these, and aqueous control reactions, we suggest mechanistic possibilities.
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16
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Lönnberg T. Sulfurization of H-Phosphonate Diesters by Elemental Sulfur under Aqueous Conditions. ACS OMEGA 2017; 2:5122-5127. [PMID: 31457787 PMCID: PMC6641597 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.7b00970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
To assess the plausibility of prebiotic nucleic acid polymerization by a sequential phosphitylation-sulfurization mechanism, the rates of hydrolysis and sulfurization of bis(2',3'-O-methyleneadenosin-5'-yl)-H-phosphonate, a dinucleoside H-phosphonate diester, have been determined over a wide pH range (0.52-7.25) and in the presence of varying amounts (0-30 mg) of elemental sulfur. The pH-rate profile of hydrolysis resembled the one previously reported for the H-phosphonate analogue of thymidylyl-3',5'-thymidine, with a relatively wide pH-independent region flanked by acid- and base-catalyzed regions. Sulfurization to the respective phosphorothioate diester, in turn, was found to be base-catalyzed over the entire pH range studied. Despite the facile hydrolysis of H-phosphonate diesters and the extremely low solubility of elemental sulfur in water, sulfurization and hydrolysis proceeded at comparable rates under neutral and mildly acidic conditions.
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17
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Kee TP, Monnard PA. Chemical systems, chemical contiguity and the emergence of life. Beilstein J Org Chem 2017; 13:1551-1563. [PMID: 28904604 PMCID: PMC5564265 DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.13.155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Charting the emergence of living cells from inanimate matter remains an intensely challenging scientific problem. The complexity of the biochemical machinery of cells with its exquisite intricacies hints at cells being the product of a long evolutionary process. Research on the emergence of life has long been focusing on specific, well-defined problems related to one aspect of cellular make-up, such as the formation of membranes or the build-up of information/catalytic apparatus. This approach is being gradually replaced by a more "systemic" approach that privileges processes inherent to complex chemical systems over specific isolated functional apparatuses. We will summarize the recent advances in system chemistry and show that chemical systems in the geochemical context imply a form of chemical contiguity in the syntheses of the various molecules that precede modern biomolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terrence P Kee
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Pierre-Alain Monnard
- Institute of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
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18
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Karki M, Gibard C, Bhowmik S, Krishnamurthy R. Nitrogenous Derivatives of Phosphorus and the Origins of Life: Plausible Prebiotic Phosphorylating Agents in Water. Life (Basel) 2017; 7:E32. [PMID: 28758921 PMCID: PMC5617957 DOI: 10.3390/life7030032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2017] [Revised: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Phosphorylation under plausible prebiotic conditions continues to be one of the defining issues for the role of phosphorus in the origins of life processes. In this review, we cover the reactions of alternative forms of phosphate, specifically the nitrogenous versions of phosphate (and other forms of reduced phosphorus species) from a prebiotic, synthetic organic and biochemistry perspective. The ease with which such amidophosphates or phosphoramidate derivatives phosphorylate a wide variety of substrates suggests that alternative forms of phosphate could have played a role in overcoming the "phosphorylation in water problem". We submit that serious consideration should be given to the search for primordial sources of nitrogenous versions of phosphate and other versions of phosphorus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megha Karki
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA.
| | - Clémentine Gibard
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA.
| | - Subhendu Bhowmik
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA.
| | - Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA.
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19
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Has Inositol Played Any Role in the Origin of Life? Life (Basel) 2017; 7:life7020024. [PMID: 28587245 PMCID: PMC5492146 DOI: 10.3390/life7020024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Revised: 05/26/2017] [Accepted: 06/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Phosphorus, as phosphate, plays a paramount role in biology. Since phosphate transfer reactions are an integral part of contemporary life, phosphate may have been incorporated into the initial molecules at the very beginning. To facilitate the studies into early phosphate utilization, we should look retrospectively to phosphate-rich molecules present in today’s cells. Overlooked by origin of life studies until now, inositol and the inositol phosphates, of which some species possess more phosphate groups that carbon atoms, represent ideal molecules to consider in this context. The current sophisticated association of inositol with phosphate, and the roles that some inositol phosphates play in regulating cellular phosphate homeostasis, intriguingly suggest that inositol might have played some role in the prebiotic process of phosphate exploitation. Inositol can be synthesized abiotically and, unlike glucose or ribose, is chemically stable. This stability makes inositol the ideal candidate for the earliest organophosphate molecules, as primitive inositol phosphates. I also present arguments suggesting roles for some inositol phosphates in early chemical evolution events. Finally, the possible prebiotic synthesis of inositol pyrophosphates could have generated high-energy molecules to be utilized in primitive trans-phosphorylating processes.
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20
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Abstract
In this paper, we revisit several issues relevant to origin-of-life research and propose a Phosphate Transfer Catalyst hypothesis that furthers our understanding of some of the key events in prebiotic chemical evolution. In the Phosphate Transfer Catalyst hypothesis, we assume the existence of hypothetical metallopeptides with phosphate transfer activity that use abundant polyphosphates as both substrates and energy sources. Nonspecific catalysis by this phosphate transfer catalyst would provide a variety of different products such as phosphoryl amino acids, nucleosides, polyphosphate nucleotides, nucleic acids, and aminoacylated nucleic acids. Moreover, being an autocatalytic set and metabolic driver at the same time, it could possibly replicate itself and produce a collective system of two polymerases; a nucleic acid able to catalyze peptide bond formation and a peptide able to polymerize nucleic acids. The genetic code starts at first as a system that reduces the energy barrier by bringing substrates (2'/3' aminoacyl-nucleotides) together, an ancestral form of the catalysis performed by modern ribosomes. Key Words: Origin of life-Prebiotic chemistry-Catalysis-Nucleic acids. Astrobiology 17, 277-285.
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21
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Dass AV, Hickman-Lewis K, Brack A, Kee TP, Westall F. Stochastic Prebiotic Chemistry within Realistic Geological Systems. ChemistrySelect 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.201600829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - André Brack
- CNRS Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire; Rue Charles Sadron 45071 Orléans France
| | - Terence P. Kee
- School of Chemistry; University of Leeds; Leeds LS2 9JT UK
| | - Frances Westall
- CNRS Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire; Rue Charles Sadron 45071 Orléans France
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22
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Selective Phosphonylation of 5'-Adenosine Monophosphate (5'-AMP) via Pyrophosphite [PPi(III)]. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2016; 46:425-434. [PMID: 27220497 PMCID: PMC5050244 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-016-9497-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2015] [Accepted: 01/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
We describe here experiments which demonstrate the selective phospho-transfer from a plausibly prebiotic condensed phosphorus (P) salt, pyrophosphite [H2P2O52−; PPi(III)], to the phosphate group of 5′-adenosine mono phosphate (5′-AMP). We show further that this P-transfer process is accelerated both by divalent metal ions (M2+) and by organic co-factors such as acetate (AcO−). In this specific case of P-transfer from PPi(III) to 5′-AMP, we show a synergistic enhancement of transfer in the combined presence of M2+ & AcO−. Isotopic labelling studies demonstrate that hydrolysis of the phosphonylated 5′-AMP, [P(III)P(V)-5′-AMP], proceeds via nuceophilic attack of water at the Pi(III) terminus.
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23
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Prebiotic Lipidic Amphiphiles and Condensing Agents on the Early Earth. Life (Basel) 2016; 6:life6020017. [PMID: 27043635 PMCID: PMC4931454 DOI: 10.3390/life6020017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2015] [Revised: 01/18/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
It is still uncertain how the first minimal cellular systems evolved to the complexity required for life to begin, but it is obvious that the role of amphiphilic compounds in the origin of life is one of huge relevance. Over the last four decades a number of studies have demonstrated how amphiphilic molecules can be synthesized under plausibly prebiotic conditions. The majority of these experiments also gave evidence for the ability of so formed amphiphiles to assemble in closed membranes of vesicles that, in principle, could have compartmented first biological processes on early Earth, including the emergence of self-replicating systems. For a competitive selection of the best performing molecular replicators to become operative, some kind of bounded units capable of harboring them are indispensable. Without the competition between dynamic populations of different compartments, life itself could not be distinguished from an otherwise disparate array or network of molecular interactions. In this review, we describe experiments that demonstrate how different prebiotically-available building blocks can become precursors of phospholipids that form vesicles. We discuss the experimental conditions that resemble plausibly those of the early Earth (or elsewhere) and consider the analytical methods that were used to characterize synthetic products. Two brief sections focus on phosphorylating agents, catalysts and coupling agents with particular attention given to their geochemical context. In Section 5, we describe how condensing agents such as cyanamide and urea can promote the abiotic synthesis of phospholipids. We conclude the review by reflecting on future studies of phospholipid compartments, particularly, on evolvable chemical systems that include giant vesicles composed of different lipidic amphiphiles.
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24
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Nguyen MM, Al-Abdul-Wahid MS, Fontenot KR, Graves EE, Chang S, Condon BD, Grimm CC, Lorigan GA. Understanding the Mechanism of Action of Triazine-Phosphonate Derivatives as Flame Retardants for Cotton Fabric. Molecules 2015; 20:11236-56. [PMID: 26096432 PMCID: PMC6272508 DOI: 10.3390/molecules200611236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2015] [Revised: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 06/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Countless hours of research and studies on triazine, phosphonate, and their combination have provided insightful information into their flame retardant properties on polymeric systems. However, a limited number of studies shed light on the mechanism of flame retardancy of their combination on cotton fabrics. The purpose of this research is to gain an understanding of the thermal degradation process of two triazine-phosphonate derivatives on cotton fabric. The investigation included the preparation of diethyl 4,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazin-2-ylphosphonate (TPN1) and dimethyl (4,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazin-2-yloxy) methyl phosphonate (TPN3), their application on fabric materials, and the studies of their thermal degradation mechanism. The studies examined chemical components in both solid and gas phases by using attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis coupled with Fourier transform infrared (TGA-FTIR) spectroscopy, and 31P solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (31P solid state NMR), in addition to the computational studies of bond dissociation energy (BDE). Despite a few differences in their decomposition, TPN1 and TPN3 produce one common major product that is believed to help reduce the flammability of the fabric.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monique M Nguyen
- Cotton Chemistry and Utilization Research, United States Department of Agriculture, 1100 Robert E. Lee Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70124, USA.
| | - M Sameer Al-Abdul-Wahid
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Miami University, 701 E. High St. Oxford, OH 45056, USA.
| | - Krystal R Fontenot
- Cotton Chemistry and Utilization Research, United States Department of Agriculture, 1100 Robert E. Lee Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70124, USA.
| | - Elena E Graves
- Cotton Chemistry and Utilization Research, United States Department of Agriculture, 1100 Robert E. Lee Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70124, USA.
| | - SeChin Chang
- Cotton Chemistry and Utilization Research, United States Department of Agriculture, 1100 Robert E. Lee Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70124, USA.
| | - Brian D Condon
- Cotton Chemistry and Utilization Research, United States Department of Agriculture, 1100 Robert E. Lee Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70124, USA.
| | - Casey C Grimm
- Cotton Chemistry and Utilization Research, United States Department of Agriculture, 1100 Robert E. Lee Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70124, USA.
| | - Gary A Lorigan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Miami University, 701 E. High St. Oxford, OH 45056, USA.
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25
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Pasek M, Herschy B, Kee TP. Phosphorus: a case for mineral-organic reactions in prebiotic chemistry. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2015; 45:207-18. [PMID: 25773584 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-015-9420-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2014] [Accepted: 01/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The ubiquity of phosphorus (P) in modern biochemistry suggests that P may have participated in prebiotic chemistry prior to the emergence of life. Of the major biogenic elements, phosphorus alone lacks a substantial volatile phase and its ultimate source therefore had to have been a mineral. However, as most native P minerals are chemically un-reactive within the temperature-pressure-pH regimes of contemporary life, it begs the question as to whether the most primitive early living systems on earth had access to a more chemically reactive P-mineral inventory. The meteoritic mineral schreibersite has been proposed as an important source of reactive P on the early earth. The chemistry of schreibersite as a P source is summarized and reviewed here. Recent work has also shown that reduced oxidation state P compounds were present on the early earth; these compounds lend credence to the relevance of schreibersite as a prebiotic mineral. Ultimately, schreibersite will oxidize to phosphate, but several high-energy P intermediates may have provided the reactive material necessary for incorporating P into prebiotic molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Pasek
- School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 E Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA,
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