Photochirogenesis: Photochemical Models on the Origin of Biomolecular Homochirality

Possible chemical and physical scenarios towards biological homochirality

The single chirality of biological molecules in terrestrial biology raises more questions than certitudes about its origin. The emergence of biological homochirality (BH) and its connection with the appearance of life have elicited a large number of theories related to the generation, amplification and preservation of a chiral bias in molecules of life under prebiotically relevant conditions. However, a global scenario is still lacking. Here, the possibility of inducing a significant chiral bias "from scratch", i.e. in the absence of pre-existing enantiomerically-enriched chemical species, will be considered first. It includes phenomena that are inherent to the nature of matter itself, such as the infinitesimal energy difference between enantiomers as a result of violation of parity in certain fundamental interactions, and physicochemical processes related to interactions between chiral organic molecules and physical fields, polarized particles, polarized spins and chiral surfaces. The spontaneous emergence of chirality in the absence of detectable chiral physical and chemical sources has recently undergone significant advances thanks to the deracemization of conglomerates through Viedma ripening and asymmetric auto-catalysis with the Soai reaction. All these phenomena are commonly discussed as plausible sources of asymmetry under prebiotic conditions and are potentially accountable for the primeval chiral bias in molecules of life. Then, several scenarios will be discussed that are aimed to reflect the different debates about the emergence of BH: extra-terrestrial or terrestrial origin (where?), nature of the mechanisms leading to the propagation and enhancement of the primeval chiral bias (how?) and temporal sequence between chemical homochirality, BH and life emergence (when?). Intense and ongoing theories regarding the emergence of optically pure molecules at different moments of the evolution process towards life, i.e. at the levels of building blocks of Life, of the instructed or functional polymers, or even later at the stage of more elaborated chemical systems, will be critically discussed. The underlying principles and the experimental evidence will be commented for each scenario with particular attention on those leading to the induction and enhancement of enantiomeric excesses in proteinogenic amino acids, natural sugars, and their intermediates or derivatives. The aim of this review is to propose an updated and timely synopsis in order to stimulate new efforts in this interdisciplinary field.

Circularly Polarized Light Can Override and Amplify Asymmetry in Supramolecular Helices

Circularly polarized light (CPL) is an inherently chiral entity and is considered one of the possible deterministic signals that led to the evolution of homochirality. While accumulating examples indicate that chirality beyond the molecular level can be induced by CPL, not much is yet known about circumstances where the spin angular momentum of light competes with existing molecular chiral information during the chirality induction and amplification processes. Here we present a light-triggered supramolecular polymerization system where chiral information can both be transmitted and nonlinearly amplified in a "sergeants-and-soldiers" manner. While matching handedness with CPL resulted in further amplification, we determined that opposite handedness could override molecular information at the supramolecular level when the enantiomeric excess was low. The presence of a critical chiral bias suggests a bifurcation point in the homochirality evolution under random external chiral perturbation. Our results also highlight opportunities for the orthogonal control of supramolecular chirality decoupled from molecular chirality preexisting in the system.

Numerical study of the second harmonic generation in FELs

A numerical study of the effect of betatron oscillations on the second harmonic generation in free-electron lasers (FELs) is presented. Analytical expressions for the effective coupling strength factors are derived that clearly distinguish all contributions in subharmonics and each polarization of the radiation. A three-dimensional time-dependent numerical FEL code that takes into account the main FEL effects and the individual contribution of each electron to the second harmonic generation is presented. Also, the X- and Y-polarizations of the second harmonic are analyzed. The second harmonic was detected in experiments at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) Low Energy Undulator Test Line (LEUTL) and Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) in the soft X-ray regime. The approach presented in the article can be useful for a comprehensive study and diagnostics of XFELs. In the paper, the LCLS and Pohang Accelerator Laboratory X-ray Free-Electron Laser (PAL-XFEL) experiments are modeled. The simulation results are in a good agreement with the experimental data.

Biological Homochirality on the Earth, or in the Universe? A Selective Review

The discovery of meteoritic alpha-amino acids with significant enantiomeric excesses of the L-form has suggested that some cosmic factors could serve as the initial source for chiral imbalance of organic compounds delivered to the early Earth. The paper reviews major hypothesis considering the influence of chiral irradiation and chiral combinations of physical fields on the possible ways asymmetric synthesis and transformations of organics could take place within the solar system. They could result in a small enantiomeric imbalance of some groups of compounds. More attention is paid to the hypothesis on parity violation of weak interaction that was supposed to cause homochirality of all primary particles and a more significant homochirality of compounds directly synthesized from the latter in a plasma reactor. The first experiment with material synthesized in a plasma torch resulting from a super-high-velocity impact showed formation of alanine with the excess of L-form between 7 and 25%. The supposed conclusion is that L-amino acids could serve as a starting homochiral biomolecular pool for life to emerge all over the Universe.

Selection of Amino Acid Chirality via Neutrino Interactions with 14N in Crossed Electric and Magnetic Fields

Previous work has suggested that the chirality of the amino acids could be established in the magnetic field of a nascent neutron star from a core-collapse supernova or massive collapsar. The magnetic field would orient the 14N nuclei, and the alignment of its nuclear spin with respect to those of the electron antineutrinos emitted from the collapsing star would determine the probability of destruction of the 14N nuclei by interactions with the antineutrinos. Subsequent work estimated the bulk polarization of the 14N nuclei in large rotating meteoroids in such an environment. The present work adds a crucial piece of this model by describing the details by which the selective 14N nuclear destruction would produce molecular chiral selectivity. The effects of the neutrino-induced interactions on the 14N nuclei bound in amino acids polarized in strong magnetic fields are studied. It is shown that electric fields in the reference frame of the nuclei modify the magnetic field at the nucleus, creating nuclear magnetizations that are asymmetric in chirality. The antineutrino cross sections depend on this magnetization, creating a selective destructive effect. The environmental conditions and sites in which such a selection mechanism could occur are discussed. Selective destruction of D-enantiomers results in enantiomeric excesses which may be sufficient to drive subsequent autocatalysis necessary to produce the few-percent enantiomeric excesses found in meteorites and subsequent homochirality. Molecular quantum chemical calculations were performed for alanine, and the chirality-dependent effects studied were included. A preference for left-handed molecules was found, and enantiomeric excesses as high as 0.02% were estimated for molecules in the electromagnetic conditions expected from a core-collapse supernova. Key Words: Amino acids-Supernovae-Antineutrinos-Enantiomeric excess-Chirality. Astrobiology 18, 190-206.

Photocyclization of photoswitches with high enantioselectivity in human serum albumin in an artificial environment

Three photochromic bisthienylethenes exhibited 56 to >99% enantiomeric excess in photochemical ring closure upon UV irradiation when incorporated in human serum albumin dissolved in 15% acetonitrile-phosphate buffer solution and incubated for 24 h at −4 °C.

First Evidence on the Role of Heavy Ion Irradiation of Meteorites and Formamide in the Origin of Biomolecules

Formamide (NH2CHO) has been irradiated in condensed phase at 273 K by 11B-boron beams in the presence of powdered meteorites of the chondrite and stony-iron types. Relative to the controls (no radiation or no catalysis), a variegate panel of compounds was observed, including purine and pyrimidine nucleobases (uracil, cytosine, adenine, and guanine), nucleobase analogues, heterocycles, and carboxylic acids involved in metabolic pathways. The presence of amino imidazole carbonitrile (AICN), 4,6-diamino purine (4,6-DAP) and 2,4-diamino pyrimidine (2,4-DAPy) among the observed products suggests the occurrence of an unified mechanism based on the generation of radical cyanide species (•CN). These observations contribute to outline plausible prebiotic scenarios involving 11B-boron as energy source.

Formation of Hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) from HCHO and NH3--Relevance to Prebiotic Chemistry and B3LYP Consideration

Despite its importance in the prebiotic and biochemical fields, a complete theoretical study of the formation of hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) starting from its precursors ammonia and formaldehyde has not received due considerations in the literature with regard to the thermodynamic feasibility of many of the mechanistically proposed intermediates in its formation. Most of the studies in this area have been mostly concerned with the initial steps of the reaction between formaldehyde and ammonia, while poor attention is dedicated to successive steps. In this article, different results from published literature were critically considered and the most probable hypothesis regarding the mechanism of HMT formation is discussed on the basis of B3LYP calculations of free energies.

Meteorite-catalyzed syntheses of nucleosides and of other prebiotic compounds from formamide under proton irradiation

Liquid formamide has been irradiated by high-energy proton beams in the presence of powdered meteorites, and the products of the catalyzed resulting syntheses were analyzed by mass spectrometry. Relative to the controls (no radiation, or no formamide, or no catalyst), an extremely rich, variegate, and prebiotically relevant panel of compounds was observed. The meteorites tested were representative of the four major classes: iron, stony iron, chondrites, and achondrites. The products obtained were amino acids, carboxylic acids, nucleobases, sugars, and, most notably, four nucleosides: cytidine, uridine, adenosine, and thymidine. In accordance with theoretical studies, the detection of HCN oligomers suggests the occurrence of mechanisms based on the generation of radical cyanide species (CN·) for the synthesis of nucleobases. Given that many of the compounds obtained are key components of extant organisms, these observations contribute to outline plausible exogenous high-energy-based prebiotic scenarios and their possible boundary conditions, as discussed.

Supernovae, neutrinos and the chirality of amino acids

A mechanism for creating an enantioenrichment in the amino acids, the building blocks of the proteins, that involves global selection of one handedness by interactions between the amino acids and neutrinos from core-collapse supernovae is defined. The chiral selection involves the dependence of the interaction cross sections on the orientations of the spins of the neutrinos and the (14)N nuclei in the amino acids, or in precursor molecules, which in turn couple to the molecular chirality. It also requires an asymmetric distribution of neutrinos emitted from the supernova. The subsequent chemical evolution and galactic mixing would ultimately populate the Galaxy with the selected species. The resulting amino acids could either be the source thereof on Earth, or could have triggered the chirality that was ultimately achieved for Earth's proteinaceous amino acids.