1
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Okita H, Murayama K, Asanuma H. Chirality-Promoted Chemical Ligation and Reverse Transcription of Acyclic Threoninol Nucleic Acid. J Am Chem Soc 2025; 147:17967-17974. [PMID: 40245353 PMCID: PMC12123609 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c03128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2025] [Revised: 04/08/2025] [Accepted: 04/10/2025] [Indexed: 04/19/2025]
Abstract
The building blocks of current life on Earth are chiral compounds, such as 2'-deoxy-D-ribose of DNA and L-amino acids with homochirality, which play an important role in various biological reactions. We investigated the effect of chirality on the template-directed chemical synthesis of nucleic acids as a model for primitive replication of genetic materials in the absence of enzymes. The efficiency of the template-directed chemical ligation of two acyclic nucleic acids, achiral serinol nucleic acid (SNA) and chiral acyclic l-threoninol nucleic acid (L-aTNA), induced by N-cyanoimidazole and a divalent metal cation, was evaluated. The chemical ligation of SNA fragments on an SNA template was much slower than the ligation of L-aTNA fragments on an L-aTNA template. Examination of L-aTNA and SNA heteroligation and the effects of chimeric template strands revealed the crucial importance of L-aTNA chirality, which induces helical propagation and fixes the local conformation of the reactive phosphate group for effective chemical ligation. DNA and RNA templates also enhanced the ligation of SNA and L-aTNA fragments. "Reverse transcription" from template RNA to L-aTNA was also demonstrated. Our findings show that scaffold chirality is crucial for chemical replication and reverse transcription in XNA-based systems. Furthermore, the reverse transcription from RNA to L-aTNA will find applications in XNA-based in vitro selection, the creation of artificial life, and nanotechnologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hikari Okita
- Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya464-8603, Japan
| | - Keiji Murayama
- Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya464-8603, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Asanuma
- Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya464-8603, Japan
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2
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Stockert JC, Horobin RW. Prebiotic RNA self-assembling and the origin of life: Mechanistic and molecular modeling rationale for explaining the prebiotic origin and replication of RNA. Acta Histochem 2025; 127:152226. [PMID: 39788859 DOI: 10.1016/j.acthis.2024.152226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2024] [Accepted: 12/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2025]
Abstract
In recent years, a great interest has been focused on the prebiotic origin of nucleic acids and life on Earth. An attractive idea is that life was initially based on an autocatalytic and autoreplicative RNA (the RNA-world). RNA duplexes are right-handed helical chains with antiparallel orientation, but the rationale for these features is not yet known. An antiparallel (inverted) stacking of purine nucleosides was reported in crystallographic studies. Molecular modeling also supports the inverted orientation of nucleosides. This preferential stacking can also appear when nucleosides are included in a montmorillonite clay matrix. Free-energy values and geometrical parameters show that D-ribose chirality is preferred for the formation of right-handed RNA molecules. Thus, a "zipper" model with antiparallel and auto-intercalated nucleosides linked by phosphate groups can be proposed to form single RNA chains. Unstacking with strand separation and base pairing by H-bonding, results in shortening and inclination of ribose-phosphate chains, leading to right-handed helicity and antiparallel duplexes. Incorporation of complementary precursors on the major groove template by a self-assembly mechanism provides a prebiotic (non-enzymatic) "tetris" replication model by formation of a transient RNA tetrad and tetraplex. Original hairpin motifs appear as simple building units that form typical RNA structures such as hammerheads, cloverleaves and dumbbells. They occur today in the circular viroids and virusoids, as well as in highly branched and complex rRNA molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan C Stockert
- Institute of Health and Environmental Sciences, Prosama Foundation, Paysandú 752, Buenos Aires, CABA CP1405, Argentina; Integrative Center of Biology and Applied Chemistry, University Bernardo O'Higgins, General Gana 1702, Santiago 8370854, Chile.
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3
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Sallembien Q, Bouteiller L, Crassous J, Raynal M. Possible chemical and physical scenarios towards biological homochirality. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:3436-3476. [PMID: 35377372 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs01179k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Sallembien
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Laurent Bouteiller
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Jeanne Crassous
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes, ISCR-UMR 6226, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Matthieu Raynal
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
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4
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Rasmussen B, Muhling J, Fischer W. Greenalite Nanoparticles in Alkaline Vent Plumes as Templates for the Origin of Life. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:246-259. [PMID: 33085498 PMCID: PMC7876356 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Mineral templates are thought to have played keys roles in the emergence of life. Drawing on recent findings from 3.45-2.45 billion-year-old iron-rich hydrothermal sedimentary rocks, we hypothesize that greenalite (Fe3Si2O5(OH)4) was a readily available mineral in hydrothermal environments, where it may have acted as a template and catalyst in polymerization, vesicle formation and encapsulation, and protocell replication. We argue that venting of dissolved Fe2+ and SiO2(aq) into the anoxic Hadean ocean favored the precipitation of nanometer-sized particles of greenalite in hydrothermal plumes, producing a continuous flow of free-floating clay templates that traversed the ocean. The mixing of acidic, metal-bearing hydrothermal plumes from volcanic ridge systems with more alkaline, organic-bearing plumes generated by serpentinization of ultramafic rocks brought together essential building blocks for life in solutions conducive to greenalite precipitation. We suggest that the extreme disorder in the greenalite crystal lattice, producing structural modulations resembling parallel corrugations (∼22 Å wide) on particle edges, promoted the assembly and alignment of linear RNA-type molecules (∼20 Å diameter). In alkaline solutions, greenalite nanoparticles could have accelerated the growth of membrane vesicles, while their encapsulation allowed RNA-type molecules to continue to form on the mineral templates, potentially enhancing the growth and division of primitive cell membranes. Once self-replicating RNA evolved, the mineral template became redundant, and protocells were free to replicate and roam the ocean realm.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. Rasmussen
- School of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - J.R. Muhling
- School of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - W.W. Fischer
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
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5
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Namani T, Snyder S, Eagan JM, Bevilacqua PC, Wesdemiotis C, Sahai N. Amino Acid Specific Nonenzymatic Montmorillonite‐Promoted RNA Polymerization. CHEMSYSTEMSCHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/syst.202000060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Trishool Namani
- School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering The University of Akron Akron OH 44325 USA
| | - Savannah Snyder
- Department of Chemistry The University of Akron Akron OH 44325 USA
| | - James M. Eagan
- School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering The University of Akron Akron OH 44325 USA
| | - Philip C. Bevilacqua
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology Center for RNA Molecular Biology Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania PA 16802 USA
| | | | - Nita Sahai
- School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering The University of Akron Akron OH 44325 USA
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6
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Chen Y, Ma W. The origin of biological homochirality along with the origin of life. PLoS Comput Biol 2020; 16:e1007592. [PMID: 31914131 PMCID: PMC6974302 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
How homochirality concerning biopolymers (DNA/RNA/proteins) could have originally occurred (i.e., arisen from a non-life chemical world, which tended to be chirality-symmetric) is a long-standing scientific puzzle. For many years, people have focused on exploring plausible physic-chemical mechanisms that may have led to prebiotic environments biased to one chiral type of monomers (e.g., D-nucleotides against L-nucleotides; L-amino-acids against D-amino-acids)–which should have then assembled into corresponding polymers with homochirality, but as yet have achieved no convincing advance. Here we show, by computer simulation–with a model based on the RNA world scenario, that the biased-chirality may have been established at polymer level instead, just deriving from a racemic mixture of monomers (i.e., equally with the two chiral types). In other words, the results suggest that the homochirality may have originated along with the advent of biopolymers during the origin of life, rather than somehow at the level of monomers before the origin of life. People have long been curious about the fact that central molecules in the living world (biopolymers), i.e., nucleic acids and proteins, are asymmetric in chirality (handedness), but as the relevant background, the chemical world is symmetric in chirality. Now that life should have originated from a prebiotic non-life background, how could this dissymmetry have occurred? Previous studies in this area focused their efforts on how the chirality-symmetry may have been broken at the monomer level (i.e., nucleotides or amino acids), but have achieved little advance over decades of years. Here we demonstrate, by in silico simulation, that instead, the required chirality-deviation may have been established along with the emergence of biopolymers at the beginning stage in the origin of life–just deriving from a chirality-symmetric monomer pool. The process is actually not only an issue of chemistry but also an issue involving evolution–thus previously difficult to reveal by pure lab work in this area. By modelling the evolutionary process, the present computer simulation study provides significant clues for experiments in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Chen
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wentao Ma
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- * E-mail:
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7
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Prebiotic Soup Components Trapped in Montmorillonite Nanoclay Form New Molecules: Car-Parrinello Ab Initio Simulations. Life (Basel) 2019; 9:life9020046. [PMID: 31167366 PMCID: PMC6617125 DOI: 10.3390/life9020046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The catalytic effects of complex minerals or meteorites are often mentioned as important factors for the origins of life. To assess the possible role of nanoconfinement within a catalyst consisting of montmorillonite (MMT) and the impact of local electric field on the formation efficiency of the simple hypothetical precursors of nucleic acid bases or amino acids, we performed ab initio Car–Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations. We prepared four condensed-phase systems corresponding to previously suggested prototypes of a primordial soup. We monitored possible chemical reactions occurring within gas-like bulk and MMT-confined four simulation boxes on a 20-ps time scale at 1 atm and 300 K, 400 K, and 600 K. Elevated temperatures did not affect the reactivity of the elementary components of the gas-like boxes considerably; however, the presence of the MMT nanoclay substantially increased the formation probability of new molecules. Approximately 20 different new compounds were found in boxes containing carbon monoxide or formaldehyde molecules. This observation and an analysis of the atom–atom radial distribution functions indicated that the presence of Ca2+ ions at the surface of the internal MMT cavities may be an important factor in the initial steps of the formation of complex molecules at the early stages of the Earth’s history.
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8
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Kawamura K, Maurel MC. Walking over 4 Gya: Chemical Evolution from Photochemistry to Mineral and Organic Chemistries Leading to an RNA World. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2017; 47:281-296. [PMID: 28432500 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-017-9537-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Here we overview the chemical evolution of RNA molecules from inorganic material through mineral-mediated RNA formation compatible with the plausible early Earth environments. Pathways from the gas-phase reaction to the formation of nucleotides, activation and oligomerization of nucleotides, seem to be compatible with specific environments. However, how these steps interacted is not clear since the chemical conditions are frequently different and can be incompatible between them; thus the products would have migrated from one place to another, suitable for further chemical evolution. In this review, we summarize certain points to scrutinize the RNA World hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunio Kawamura
- Department of Human Environmental Studies, Hiroshima Shudo University, 1-1-1 Ozuka-higashi, Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima, 731-3195, Japan.
| | - Marie-Christine Maurel
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205 CNRS MNHN UPMC EPHE, Sorbonne Universités, 50, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005, Paris, CP, France
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9
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Aldersley MF, Joshi PC, Huang Y. The Comparison of Hydrochloric Acid and Phosphoric Acid Treatments in the Preparation of Montmorillonite Catalysts for RNA Synthesis. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2017; 47:297-304. [PMID: 28210992 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-017-9533-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The treatment of clay minerals with a preliminary acid wash and titration to pH 7 has proven to generate catalysts for the most interesting of oligomerization reactions in which activated RNA-nucleotides generate oligomers up to 40-mers. Significantly, not all clay minerals become catalytic following this treatment and none are catalytic in the absence of such treatment. The washing procedure has been modified and explored further using phosphoric acid and the outcomes are compared to those obtained when clay samples are prepared following a hydrochloric acid wash.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Frank Aldersley
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA.
| | - Prakash C Joshi
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Yixing Huang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
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10
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Lach S, Yoon SM, Grzybowski BA. Tactic, reactive, and functional droplets outside of equilibrium. Chem Soc Rev 2016; 45:4766-96. [DOI: 10.1039/c6cs00242k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Droplets subject to non-equilibrium conditions can exhibit a range of biomimetic and “intelligent” behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sławomir Lach
- IBS Center for Soft and Living Matter, and Department of Chemistry
- UNIST
- Ulsan
- Republic of Korea
| | - Seok Min Yoon
- IBS Center for Soft and Living Matter, and Department of Chemistry
- UNIST
- Ulsan
- Republic of Korea
| | - Bartosz A. Grzybowski
- IBS Center for Soft and Living Matter, and Department of Chemistry
- UNIST
- Ulsan
- Republic of Korea
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11
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Jheeta S, Joshi PC. Prebiotic RNA synthesis by montmorillonite catalysis. Life (Basel) 2014; 4:318-30. [PMID: 25370375 PMCID: PMC4206849 DOI: 10.3390/life4030318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2013] [Revised: 06/29/2014] [Accepted: 07/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This review summarizes our recent findings on the role of mineral salts in prebiotic RNA synthesis, which is catalyzed by montmorillonite clay minerals. The clay minerals not only catalyze the synthesis of RNA but also facilitate homochiral selection. Preliminary data of these findings have been presented at the "Horizontal Gene Transfer and the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA)" conference at the Open University, Milton Keynes, UK, 5-6 September 2013. The objective of this meeting was to recognize the significance of RNA in LUCA. We believe that the prebiotic RNA synthesis from its monomers must have been a simple process. As a first step, it may have required activation of the 5'-end of the mononucleotide with a leaving group, e.g., imidazole in our model reaction (Figure 1). Wide ranges of activating groups are produced from HCN under plausible prebiotic Earth conditions. The final step is clay mineral catalysis in the presence of mineral salts to facilitate selective production of functional RNA. Both the clay minerals and mineral salts would have been abundant on early Earth. We have demonstrated that while montmorillonite (pH 7) produced only dimers from its monomers in water, addition of sodium chloride (1 M) enhanced the chain length multifold, as detected by HPLC. The effect of monovalent cations on RNA synthesis was of the following order: Li+ > Na+ > K+. A similar effect was observed with the anions, enhancing catalysis in the following order: Cl- > Br- > I-. The montmorillonite-catalyzed RNA synthesis was not affected by hydrophobic or hydrophilic interactions. We thus show that prebiotic synthesis of RNA from its monomers was a simple process requiring only clay minerals and a small amount of salt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sohan Jheeta
- NoR HGT&LUCA, 1 Scott Hall Crescent, Leeds LS7 3RB, UK.
| | - Prakash C Joshi
- New York Center for Astrobiology and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA.
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12
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Ruiz-Mirazo K, Briones C, de la Escosura A. Prebiotic Systems Chemistry: New Perspectives for the Origins of Life. Chem Rev 2013; 114:285-366. [DOI: 10.1021/cr2004844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 606] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kepa Ruiz-Mirazo
- Biophysics
Unit (CSIC-UPV/EHU), Leioa, and Department of Logic and Philosophy
of Science, University of the Basque Country, Avenida de Tolosa 70, 20080 Donostia−San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Carlos Briones
- Department
of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC−INTA, associated to the NASA Astrobiology Institute), Carretera de Ajalvir, Km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
| | - Andrés de la Escosura
- Organic
Chemistry Department, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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13
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Sponer JE, Mládek A, Sponer J. Structural and energetic factors controlling the enantioselectivity of dinucleotide formation under prebiotic conditions. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2013; 15:6235-42. [PMID: 23515462 DOI: 10.1039/c3cp44156c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Recently, it has been reported that the montmorillonite-catalyzed oligomerization of activated nucleotides exhibits remarkable enantioselectivity. In the current paper we investigate the structures and intrinsic energies of homochiral and heterochiral cyclic dinucleotides by means of accurate quantum chemical calculations in gas-phase and in bulk water. The steric effect of the clay is represented with geometrical constraints. Our computations reveal that the heterochiral dimer geometries are systematically less stable than their homochiral counterparts due to steric clashes inside the sugar-phosphate ring geometry. Thus we suggest that the homochiral selectivity observed in the cyclic dinucleotide formation in confined spaces may arise from the energetic destabilization of the heterochiral ring geometries as compared to their homochiral analogues. In the present paper we provide the first model of the 3D structure of d,l cyclic dinucleotides, which until now has eluded experimental observation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit E Sponer
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic.
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14
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Joshi PC, Aldersley MF. Significance of mineral salts in prebiotic RNA synthesis catalyzed by montmorillonite. J Mol Evol 2013; 76:371-9. [PMID: 23775061 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-013-9568-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2013] [Accepted: 06/06/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The montmorillonite-catalyzed reactions of the 5'-phosphorimidazolide of adenosine used as a model generated RNA type oligomers. These reactions were found to be dependent on the presence of mineral salts. Whereas montmorillonite (pH 7) produced only dimers and traces of trimer in water, addition of sodium chloride (0.1-2.0 M) enhanced the chain length of oligomers to 10-mers as detected by HPLC. Maximum catalytic activity was observed with sodium chloride at a concentration between 0.8 and 1.2 M. This concentration of sodium chloride resembled its abundance in the ancient oceans (0.9-1.2 M). Magnesium chloride produced a similar effect but its joint action with sodium chloride did not produce any difference in the oligomer chain length. Therefore, Mg(2+) was not deemed necessary for generating longer oligomers. The effect of monovalent cations upon RNA chain length was: Li(+) > Na(+) > K(+). A similar effect was observed with the anions with enhanced oligomer length in the following order: Cl(-) > Br(-) > I(-). Thus, the smaller ions facilitated the formation of the longest oligomers. Inorganic salts that tend to salt out organic compounds from water and salts which show salt-in effects had no influence on the oligomerization process indicating that the montmorillonite-catalyzed RNA synthesis is not affected by either of these hydrophobic or hydrophilic interactions. A 2.3-fold decrease in the yield of cyclic dimer was observed upon increasing the sodium chloride concentration from 0.2 to 2.0 M. Inhibition of cyclic dimer formation is vital for increasing the yield of linear dimers and longer oligomers. In summary, sodium chloride is likely to have played an essential role in any clay mineral-catalyzed prebiotic RNA synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prakash C Joshi
- The New York Center for Astrobiology and Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA.
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15
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Clivio P, Coantic-Castex S, Guillaume D. (3'-5')-Cyclic dinucleotides: synthetic strategies and biological potential. Chem Rev 2013; 113:7354-401. [PMID: 23767818 DOI: 10.1021/cr300011s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pascale Clivio
- UMR 6229, Institut de Chimie Moléculaire de Reims, CNRS-Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne , UFR Médecine-Pharmacie, 51 Rue Cognacq Jay, 51096 Reims Cedex, France
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16
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Gleiser M, Nelson BJ, Walker SI. Chiral polymerization in open systems from chiral-selective reaction rates. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2012; 42:333-46. [PMID: 22610131 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-012-9274-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2012] [Accepted: 04/25/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
We investigate the possibility that prebiotic homochirality can be achieved exclusively through chiral-selective reaction rate parameters without any other explicit mechanism for chiral bias. Specifically, we examine an open network of polymerization reactions, where the reaction rates can have chiral-selective values. The reactions are neither autocatalytic nor do they contain explicit enantiomeric cross-inhibition terms. We are thus investigating how rare a set of chiral-selective reaction rates needs to be in order to generate a reasonable amount of chiral bias. We quantify our results adopting a statistical approach: varying both the mean value and the rms dispersion of the relevant reaction rates, we show that moderate to high levels of chiral excess can be achieved with fairly small chiral bias, below 10%. Considering the various unknowns related to prebiotic chemical networks in early Earth and the dependence of reaction rates to environmental properties such as temperature and pressure variations, we argue that homochirality could have been achieved from moderate amounts of chiral selectivity in the reaction rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Gleiser
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
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17
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D'Alonzo D, Guaragna A, Palumbo G. Exploring the role of chirality in nucleic acid recognition. Chem Biodivers 2012; 8:373-413. [PMID: 21404424 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.201000303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The study of the base-pairing properties of nucleic acids with sugar moieties in the backbone belonging to the L-series (β-L-DNA, β-L-RNA, and their analogs) are reviewed. The major structural factors underlying the formation of stable heterochiral complexes obtained by incorporation of modified nucleotides into natural duplexes, or by hybridization between homochiral strands of opposite sense of chirality are highlighted. In addition, the perspective use of L-nucleic acids as candidates for various therapeutic applications, or as tools for both synthetic biology and etiology-oriented investigations on the structure and stereochemistry of natural nucleic acids is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele D'Alonzo
- Dipartimento di Chimica Organica e Biochimica, Università di Napoli Federico II, Complesso Universitario Monte Sant'Angelo, via Cinthia, 4, I-80126 Napoli.
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Joshi PC, Aldersley MF, Price JD, Zagorevski DV, Ferris JP. Progress in studies on the RNA world. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2011; 41:575-9. [PMID: 22139516 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-011-9255-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2011] [Accepted: 08/18/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The montmorillonite-catalyzed reactions of D, L-ImpA with D, L-ImpU generates RNA-like oligomers. The structures of the dimers to pentamers were investigated and homochiral products were identified in greater amounts than would be expected if theoretical amounts of each were formed. The homochirality increased from 64% to 97% as the chain length increased from dimers to pentamers. Investigation of the effect of pH, occupancy of the interlayer space and the influence of various cations in the reaction provided further insight into physical process in the mechanism of the catalysis. A detailed analysis of dimers was carried out in view of there being key intermediates towards formation of higher oligomers. The study was extended to the synthesis of non-standard dimers including those formed with deoxy-ribonucleotides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prakash C Joshi
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
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19
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Joshi PC, Aldersley MF, Ferris JP. Progress in demonstrating total homochiral selection in montmorillonite-catalyzed RNA synthesis. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2011; 413:594-8. [PMID: 21925147 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2011.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2011] [Accepted: 09/01/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The Na(+)-montmorillonite-catalyzed reactions of 5'-phosphorimidazolides of nucleosides generates RNA oligomers. The question arises as to how chiral selectivity was introduced into this biopolymer from a simple chemical system. We have demonstrated homochiral selection in quaternary reactions of a racemic mixture of D,L-ImpA and D,L-ImpU on Na(+)-montmorillonite. The dimer, trimer, tetramer and pentamer fractions were investigated for homochiral selection. The products were collected via ion exchange HPLC and their terminal 5'-phosphate was cleaved by alkaline phosphatase. These fractions were analyzed by reverse phase HPLC for the identification of homochiral and heterochiral isomers. Encouraged by favorable homochiral excesses of dimer (63.5 ± 0.8%) and trimer (74.3 ± 1.7%), the study was extended to the analysis of higher oligomers. The tetramer and pentamer of the quaternary reaction were separated into 26 and 22 isomers, respectively, on a reverse phase column. Their co-elution with those formed in the binary reactions of d-ImpA and D-ImpU on Na(+)-montmorillonite revealed 92.7 ± 2.0% and 97.2 ± 0.5% homochirality of the tetramer and pentamer, respectively. These results suggest that Na(+)-montmorillonite not only catalyzes the prebiotic synthesis of RNA but it also facilitates homochiral selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prakash C Joshi
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, The New York Center for Astrobiology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
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Abstract
The chemoton model of cells posits three subsystems: metabolism, compartmentalization, and information. A specific model for the prebiological evolution of a reproducing system with rudimentary versions of these three interdependent subsystems is presented. This is based on the initial emergence and reproduction of autocatalytic networks in hydrothermal microcompartments containing iron sulfide. The driving force for life was catalysis of the dissipation of the intrinsic redox gradient of the planet. The codependence of life on iron and phosphate provides chemical constraints on the ordering of prebiological evolution. The initial protometabolism was based on positive feedback loops associated with in situ carbon fixation in which the initial protometabolites modified the catalytic capacity and mobility of metal-based catalysts, especially iron-sulfur centers. A number of selection mechanisms, including catalytic efficiency and specificity, hydrolytic stability, and selective solubilization, are proposed as key determinants for autocatalytic reproduction exploited in protometabolic evolution. This evolutionary process led from autocatalytic networks within preexisting compartments to discrete, reproducing, mobile vesicular protocells with the capacity to use soluble sugar phosphates and hence the opportunity to develop nucleic acids. Fidelity of information transfer in the reproduction of these increasingly complex autocatalytic networks is a key selection pressure in prebiological evolution that eventually leads to the selection of nucleic acids as a digital information subsystem and hence the emergence of fully functional chemotons capable of Darwinian evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Pratt
- Department of Chemistry, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
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Swadling JB, Coveney PV, Greenwell HC. Clay minerals mediate folding and regioselective interactions of RNA: a large-scale atomistic simulation study. J Am Chem Soc 2011; 132:13750-64. [PMID: 20843023 DOI: 10.1021/ja104106y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Since a mineral-mediated origin of life was first hypothesized over 60 years ago, clays have played a significant role in origins of life studies. Such studies have hitherto rarely used computer simulation to understand the possible chemical pathways to the formation of biomolecules. We use molecular dynamics techniques, performed on supercomputing grids, to carry out large-scale simulations of various 25-mer sequences of ribonucleic acid (RNA), in bulk water and with aqueous montmorillonite clay over many tens of nanoseconds. Hitherto, there has only been limited experimental data reported for these systems. Our simulations are found to be in agreement with various experimental observations pertaining to the relative adsorption of RNA on montmorillonite in the presence of charge balancing cations. Over time scales of only a few nanoseconds, specific RNA sequences fold to characteristic secondary structural motifs, which do not form in the corresponding bulk water simulations. Our simulations also show that, in aqueous Ca(2+) environments, RNA can tether to the clay surface through a nucleotide base, leaving the 3'-end of the strand exposed, providing a mechanism for the regiospecific adsorption and elongation of RNA oligomers on clay surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob B Swadling
- Centre for Computational Science, Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
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Joshi PC, Aldersley MF, Ferris JP. Homochiral selectivity in RNA synthesis: montmorillonite-catalyzed quaternary reactions of D, L-purine with D, L- pyrimidine nucleotides. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2010; 41:213-36. [PMID: 20725859 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-010-9222-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2010] [Accepted: 06/17/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Selective adsorption of D, L-ImpA with D, L-ImpU on the platelets of montmorillonite demonstrates an important reaction pathway for the origin of homochirality in RNA synthesis. Our earlier studies have shown that the individual reactions of D, L-ImpA or D, L-ImpU on montmorillonite catalyst produced oligomers which were only partially inhibited by the incorporation of both D- and L-enantiomers. Homochirality in these reactions was largely due to the formation of cyclic dimers that cannot elongate. We investigated the quaternary reactions of D, L-ImpA with D, L-ImpU on montmorillonite. The chain length of these oligomers increased from 9-mer to 11-mer as observed by HPLC, with a concomitant increase in the yield of linear dimers and higher oligomers in the reactions involving D, L-ImpA with D, L-ImpU as compared to the similar reactions carried out with D-enantiomers only. The formation of cyclic dimers of U was completely inhibited in the quaternary reactions. The yield of cyclic dimers of A was reduced from 60% to 10% within the dimer fraction. 12 linear dimers and 3 cyclic dimers were isolated and characterized from the quaternary reaction. The homochirality and regioselectivity of dimers were 64.1% and 71.7%, respectively. Their sequence selectivity was shown by the formation of purine-pyrimidine (54-59%) linkages, followed by purine-purine (29-32%) linkages and pyrimidine-pyrimidine (9-13%) linkages. Of the 16 trimers detected, 10 were homochiral with an overall homochirality of 73-76%. In view of the greater homochirality, sequence- and regio- selectivity, the quaternary reactions on montmorillonite demonstrate an unexpectedly favorable route for the prebiotic synthesis of homochiral RNA compared with the separate reactions of enantiomeric activated mononucleotides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prakash C Joshi
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, The New York Center for Astrobiology, Troy, NY 12180, USA
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Mathew DC, Luthey-Schulten Z. Influence of montmorillonite on nucleotide oligomerization reactions: a molecular dynamics study. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2010; 40:303-17. [PMID: 20213159 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-010-9207-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2009] [Accepted: 12/28/2009] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
We investigate a proposed origins of life scenario involving the clay montmorillonite and its catalytic role in forming oligonucleotides from activated mononucleotides. Clay and mineral surfaces are important for concentrating the reactants and for promoting nucleotide polymerization reactions. Using classical molecular dynamics methods we provide atomic details of reactant conformations prior to polynucleotide formation, lending insight into previously reported experimental observations of this phenomenon. The simulations clarify the catalytic role of metal ions, demonstrate that reactions leading to correct linkages take place primarily in the interlayer, and explain the observed sequence selectivity in the elongation of the chain. The study comparing reaction probabilities involving L- and D-chiral forms of the reactants has found enhancement of homochiral over heterochiral products when catalyzed by montmorillonite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien C Mathew
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois, 600 S Mathews Ave., MC-712, Box 68-6, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
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Cleaves HJ, Jonsson CM, Jonsson CL, Sverjensky DA, Hazen RM. Adsorption of nucleic acid components on rutile (TiO(2)) surfaces. ASTROBIOLOGY 2010; 10:311-323. [PMID: 20446871 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2009.0397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Nucleic acids, the storage molecules of genetic information, are composed of repeating polymers of ribonucleotides (in RNA) or deoxyribonucleotides (in DNA), which are themselves composed of a phosphate moiety, a sugar moiety, and a nitrogenous base. The interactions between these components and mineral surfaces are important because there is a tremendous flux of nucleic acids in the environment due to cell death and horizontal gene transfer. The adsorption of mono-, oligo-, and polynucleotides and their components on mineral surfaces may have been important for the origin of life. We have studied here interactions of nucleic acid components with rutile (TiO(2)), a mineral common in many terrestrial crustal rocks. Our results suggest roles for several nucleic acid functional groups (including sugar hydroxyl groups, the phosphate group, and extracyclic functional groups on the bases) in binding, in agreement with results obtained from studies of other minerals. In contrast with recent studies of nucleotide adsorption on ZnO, aluminum oxides, and hematite, our results suggest a different preferred orientation for the monomers on rutile surfaces. The conformations of the molecules bound to rutile surfaces appear to favor specific interactions, which in turn may allow identification of the most favorable mineral surfaces for nucleic acid adsorption.
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Affiliation(s)
- H James Cleaves
- Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA.
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Joshi PC, Aldersley MF, Delano JW, Ferris JP. Mechanism of montmorillonite catalysis in the formation of RNA oligomers. J Am Chem Soc 2010; 131:13369-74. [PMID: 19719166 DOI: 10.1021/ja9036516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The montmorillonite clay-catalyzed reactions of nucleotides generate oligomers as long as 50-mers. The extent of catalysis depends on the magnitude of the negative charge on the montmorillonite lattice and the number of cations associated with it. When cations in raw montmorillonites are replaced by sodium ions, the resulting Na(+)-montmorillonite does not catalyze oligomer formation because they saturate the interlayers between the platelets of montmorillonites, which blocks the binding of the activated monomers. Treating the montmorillonite with dilute hydrochloric acid replaces the cations on the raw montmorillonite with protons. The protonated montmorillonite, titrated to pH 6-7, serves as a catalyst for the formation of RNA oligomers. The titration does not add sufficient sodium ions to the interlayers of the montmorillonite platelets to prevent the activated monomer from entering. It was noted that noncatalytic montmorillonites have a higher negative charge on their platelets that is due mainly to the natural substitution of the tetravalent and trivalent elements in the montmorillonite lattice with trivalent and divalent metal ions, respectively. The larger negative charge on these montmorillonites was demonstrated by the almost 2-fold greater amounts of sodium hydroxide needed to titrate noncatalytic montmorillonites as compared to the catalytic montmorillonites. Adsorption isotherms established that the equilibrium binding is strongest for ImpA and weakest for ImpU. Of the 22 montmorillonites investigated, 12 were catalysts. This research provides insight into the mechanism of the catalytic process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prakash C Joshi
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and the New York Center for Astrobiology and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, USA
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Mulkidjanian AY, Galperin MY. On the origin of life in the zinc world. 2. Validation of the hypothesis on the photosynthesizing zinc sulfide edifices as cradles of life on Earth. Biol Direct 2009; 4:27. [PMID: 19703275 PMCID: PMC2749021 DOI: 10.1186/1745-6150-4-27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2009] [Accepted: 08/24/2009] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The accompanying article (A.Y. Mulkidjanian, Biology Direct 4:26) puts forward a detailed hypothesis on the role of zinc sulfide (ZnS) in the origin of life on Earth. The hypothesis suggests that life emerged within compartmentalized, photosynthesizing ZnS formations of hydrothermal origin (the Zn world), assembled in sub-aerial settings on the surface of the primeval Earth. RESULTS If life started within photosynthesizing ZnS compartments, it should have been able to evolve under the conditions of elevated levels of Zn2+ ions, byproducts of the ZnS-mediated photosynthesis. Therefore, the Zn world hypothesis leads to a set of testable predictions regarding the specific roles of Zn2+ ions in modern organisms, particularly in RNA and protein structures related to the procession of RNA and the "evolutionarily old" cellular functions. We checked these predictions using publicly available data and obtained evidence suggesting that the development of the primeval life forms up to the stage of the Last Universal Common Ancestor proceeded in zinc-rich settings. Testing of the hypothesis has revealed the possible supportive role of manganese sulfide in the primeval photosynthesis. In addition, we demonstrate the explanatory power of the Zn world concept by elucidating several points that so far remained without acceptable rationalization. In particular, this concept implies a new scenario for the separation of Bacteria and Archaea and the origin of Eukarya. CONCLUSION The ability of the Zn world hypothesis to generate non-trivial veritable predictions and explain previously obscure items gives credence to its key postulate that the development of the first life forms started within zinc-rich formations of hydrothermal origin and was driven by solar UV irradiation. This concept implies that the geochemical conditions conducive to the origin of life may have persisted only as long as the atmospheric CO2 pressure remained above ca. 10 bar. This work envisions the first Earth biotopes as photosynthesizing and habitable areas of porous ZnS and MnS precipitates around primeval hot springs. Further work will be needed to provide details on the life within these communities and to elucidate the primordial (bio)chemical reactions. REVIEWERS This article was reviewed by Arcady Mushegian, Eugene Koonin, and Patrick Forterre. For the full reviews, please go to the Reviewers' reports section.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armen Y Mulkidjanian
- School of Physics, Universität Osnabrück, D-49069 Osnabrück, Germany
- A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Michael Y Galperin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
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Briones C, Stich M, Manrubia SC. The dawn of the RNA World: toward functional complexity through ligation of random RNA oligomers. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2009; 15:743-9. [PMID: 19318464 PMCID: PMC2673073 DOI: 10.1261/rna.1488609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2008] [Accepted: 01/31/2009] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
A main unsolved problem in the RNA World scenario for the origin of life is how a template-dependent RNA polymerase ribozyme emerged from short RNA oligomers obtained by random polymerization on mineral surfaces. A number of computational studies have shown that the structural repertoire yielded by that process is dominated by topologically simple structures, notably hairpin-like ones. A fraction of these could display RNA ligase activity and catalyze the assembly of larger, eventually functional RNA molecules retaining their previous modular structure: molecular complexity increases but template replication is absent. This allows us to build up a stepwise model of ligation-based, modular evolution that could pave the way to the emergence of a ribozyme with RNA replicase activity, step at which information-driven Darwinian evolution would be triggered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Briones
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain.
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Urata H, Fujimori M, Aono C, Yamakawa T, Harada E, Akagi M. Regio- and diastereo-selectivity of montmorillonite-catalyzed oligomerization of racemic adenosine 5'-phosphorimidazolide. NUCLEOSIDES NUCLEOTIDES & NUCLEIC ACIDS 2008; 27:421-30. [PMID: 18404575 DOI: 10.1080/15257770801954955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Clay is a possible candidate for an effective catalyst in prebiotic chemical evolution of biomolecules. Montmorillonite was reported to effectively catalyze oligomerization of racemic adenosine 5'-phosphorimidazolide (DL-ImpA). In the oligomerization reaction, considerable amounts of cyclic dimers as well as linear dimers were produced in the oligomerization reactions. To assess the regio- and diastereo-selectivities of the oligomerization reaction, the dimer products including cyclic dimers were completely identified by means of enzymatic degradation reactions of the products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidehito Urata
- Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka, Japan.
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Ferris JP. Montmorillonite-catalysed formation of RNA oligomers: the possible role of catalysis in the origins of life. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2006; 361:1777-86; discussion 1786. [PMID: 17008218 PMCID: PMC1664692 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2006.1903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Large deposits of montmorillonite are present on the Earth today and it is believed to have been present at the time of the origin of life and has recently been detected on Mars. It is formed by aqueous weathering of volcanic ash. It catalyses the formation of oligomers of RNA that contain monomer units from 2 to 30-50. Oligomers of this length are formed because this catalyst controls the structure of the oligomers formed and does not generate all possible isomers. Evidence of sequence-, regio- and homochiral selectivity in these oligomers has been obtained. Postulates on the role of selective versus specific catalysts on the origins of life are discussed. An introduction to the origin of life is given with an emphasis on reaction conditions based on the recent data obtained from zircons 4.0-4.5Ga.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P Ferris
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and the New York Centre for Studies on the Origins of Life, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA.
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