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d'Ischia M, Manini P, Martins Z, Remusat L, O'D Alexander CM, Puzzarini C, Barone V, Saladino R. Insoluble organic matter in chondrites: Archetypal melanin-like PAH-based multifunctionality at the origin of life? Phys Life Rev 2021; 37:65-93. [PMID: 33774429 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2021.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
An interdisciplinary review of the chemical literature that points to a unifying scenario for the origin of life, referred to as the Primordial Multifunctional organic Entity (PriME) scenario, is provided herein. In the PriME scenario it is suggested that the Insoluble Organic Matter (IOM) in carbonaceous chondrites, as well as interplanetary dust particles from meteorites and comets may have played an important role in the three most critical processes involved in the origin of life, namely 1) metabolism, via a) the provision and accumulation of molecules that are the building blocks of life, b) catalysis (e.g., by templation), and c) protection of developing life molecules against radiation by excited state deactivation; 2) compartmentalization, via adsorption of compounds on the exposed organic surfaces in fractured meteorites, and 3) replication, via deaggregation, desorption and related physical phenomena. This scenario is based on the hitherto overlooked structural and physicochemical similarities between the IOM and the dark, insoluble, multifunctional melanin polymers found in bacteria and fungi and associated with the ability of these microorganisms to survive extreme conditions, including ionizing radiation. The underlying conceptual link between these two materials is strengthened by the fact that primary precursors of bacterial and fungal melanins (collectively referred to herein as allomelanins) are hydroxylated aromatic compounds like homogentisic acid and 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene, and that similar hydroxylated aromatic compounds, including hydroxynaphthalenes, figure prominently among possible components of the organic materials on dust grains and ices in the interstellar matter, and may be involved in the formation of IOM in meteorites. Inspired by this rationale, a vis-à-vis review of the properties of IOM from various chondrites and non-nitrogenous allomelanin pigments from bacteria and fungi is provided herein. The unrecognized similarities between these materials may pave the way for a novel scenario at the origin of life, in which IOM-related complex organic polymers delivered to the early Earth are proposed to serve as PriME and were preserved and transformed in those primitive forms of life that shared the ability to synthesize melanin polymers playing an important role in the critical processes underlying the establishment of terrestrial eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco d'Ischia
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy.
| | - Paola Manini
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Zita Martins
- Centro de Química Estrutural and Departamento de Engenharia Química, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Laurent Remusat
- Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie, UMR CNRS 7590, Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Conel M O'D Alexander
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW Washington, DC 20015-1305, USA
| | - Cristina Puzzarini
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 2, Bologna, I-40126, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Barone
- Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, Pisa, I-56126, Italy
| | - Raffaele Saladino
- Biological and Ecological Sciences Department (DEB), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis 01100 Viterbo, Italy
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He Y, Al-Mureish A, Wu N. Nanotechnology in the Treatment of Diabetic Complications: A Comprehensive Narrative Review. J Diabetes Res 2021; 2021:6612063. [PMID: 34007847 PMCID: PMC8110427 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6612063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In today's society, the prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus and its subsequent complications have brought trouble to human beings. Complications caused by diabetes bring not only physical and mental pain to patients but also a heavy economic burden to families. And once diabetic complications occur, they are often irreversible and very difficult. At present, some studies suggest that nanotechnology can treat some diabetic complications. This paper reviews the application of nanotechnology in the repair of diabetic segmental bone injury, the healing of diabetic skin ulcers, the therapeutic effect, and improvement strategies and deficiencies of nanotechnology in diabetic complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujing He
- Department of Endocrinology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China
| | - Abdulrahman Al-Mureish
- Department of Endocrinology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China
| | - Na Wu
- Department of Endocrinology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China
- Clinical Skills Practice Teaching Center, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China
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Mao J, Cao X, Olk DC, Chu W, Schmidt-Rohr K. Advanced solid-state NMR spectroscopy of natural organic matter. PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY 2017; 100:17-51. [PMID: 28552171 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnmrs.2016.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Revised: 11/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Solid-state NMR is essential for the characterization of natural organic matter (NOM) and is gaining importance in geosciences and environmental sciences. This review is intended to highlight advanced solid-state NMR techniques, especially a systematic approach to NOM characterization, and their applications to the study of NOM. We discuss some basics of how to acquire high-quality and quantitative solid-state 13C NMR spectra, and address some common technical mistakes that lead to unreliable spectra of NOM. The identification of specific functional groups in NOM, primarily based on 13C spectral-editing techniques, is described and the theoretical background of some recently-developed spectral-editing techniques is provided. Applications of solid-state NMR to investigating nitrogen (N) in NOM are described, focusing on limitations of the widely used 15N CP/MAS experiment and the potential of improved advanced NMR techniques for characterizing N forms in NOM. Then techniques used for identifying proximities, heterogeneities and domains are reviewed, and some examples provided. In addition, NMR techniques for studying segmental dynamics in NOM are reviewed. We also briefly discuss applications of solid-state NMR to NOM from various sources, including soil organic matter, aquatic organic matter, organic matter in atmospheric particulate matter, carbonaceous meteoritic organic matter, and fossil fuels. Finally, examples of NMR-based structural models and an outlook are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingdong Mao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Old Dominion University, 4541 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk, VA 23529, United States.
| | - Xiaoyan Cao
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02453, United States.
| | - Dan C Olk
- National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, 1015 N. University Blvd., Ames, IA 50011, United States.
| | - Wenying Chu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Old Dominion University, 4541 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk, VA 23529, United States.
| | - Klaus Schmidt-Rohr
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02453, United States.
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Alexander CMO, Cody GD, De Gregorio BT, Nittler LR, Stroud RM. The nature, origin and modification of insoluble organic matter in chondrites, the possibly interstellar source of Earth's C and N. CHEMIE DER ERDE : BEITRAGE ZUR CHEMISCHEN MINERALOGIE, PETROGRAPHIE UND GEOLOGIE 2017; 77:227-256. [PMID: 31007270 PMCID: PMC6469876 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemer.2017.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
All chondrites accreted ~3.5 wt.% C in their matrices, the bulk of which was in a macromolecular solvent and acid insoluble organic material (IOM). Similar material to IOM is found in interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) and comets. The IOM accounts for almost all of the C and N in chondrites, and a significant fraction of the H. Chondrites and, to a lesser extent, comets were probably the major sources of volatiles for the Earth and the other terrestrial planets. Hence, IOM was both the major source of Earth's volatiles and a potential source of complex prebiotic molecules. Large enrichments in D and 15N, relative to the bulk solar isotopic compositions, suggest that IOM or its precursors formed in very cold, radiation-rich environments. Whether these environments were in the interstellar medium (ISM) or the outer Solar System is unresolved. Nevertheless, the elemental and isotopic compositions and functional group chemistry of IOM provide important clues to the origin(s) of organic matter in protoplanetary disks. IOM is modified relatively easily by thermal and aqueous processes, so that it can also be used to constrain the conditions in the solar nebula prior to chondrite accretion and the conditions in the chondrite parent bodies after accretion. Here we review what is known about the abundances, compositions and physical nature of IOM in the most primitive chondrites. We also discuss how the IOM has been modified by thermal metamorphism and aqueous alteration in the chondrite parent bodies, and how these changes may be used both as petrologic indicators of the intensity of parent body processing and as tools for classification. Finally, we critically assess the various proposed mechanisms for the formation of IOM in the ISM or Solar System.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M O'D Alexander
- Dept. Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - G D Cody
- Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Road, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - B T De Gregorio
- Dept. Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - L R Nittler
- Dept. Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - R M Stroud
- Materials Science and Technology Division, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, USA
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Simpson AJ, McNally DJ, Simpson MJ. NMR spectroscopy in environmental research: from molecular interactions to global processes. PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY 2011; 58:97-175. [PMID: 21397118 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnmrs.2010.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2010] [Accepted: 09/17/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- André J Simpson
- Environmental NMR Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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High molecular diversity of extraterrestrial organic matter in Murchison meteorite revealed 40 years after its fall. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 107:2763-8. [PMID: 20160129 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0912157107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 218] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous descriptions of organic molecules present in the Murchison meteorite have improved our understanding of the early interstellar chemistry that operated at or just before the birth of our solar system. However, all molecular analyses were so far targeted toward selected classes of compounds with a particular emphasis on biologically active components in the context of prebiotic chemistry. Here we demonstrate that a nontargeted ultrahigh-resolution molecular analysis of the solvent-accessible organic fraction of Murchison extracted under mild conditions allows one to extend its indigenous chemical diversity to tens of thousands of different molecular compositions and likely millions of diverse structures. This molecular complexity, which provides hints on heteroatoms chronological assembly, suggests that the extraterrestrial chemodiversity is high compared to terrestrial relevant biological- and biogeochemical-driven chemical space.
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Polito L, Colombo M, Monti D, Melato S, Caneva E, Prosperi D. Resolving the Structure of Ligands Bound to the Surface of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles by High-Resolution Magic-Angle Spinning NMR Spectroscopy. J Am Chem Soc 2008; 130:12712-24. [DOI: 10.1021/ja802479n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Polito
- Department of Organic and Industrial Chemistry and Centro Interdipartimentale Grandi Apparecchiature, University of Milan, and Institute of Molecular Science and Technology, CNR, Milan, Italy
| | - Miriam Colombo
- Department of Organic and Industrial Chemistry and Centro Interdipartimentale Grandi Apparecchiature, University of Milan, and Institute of Molecular Science and Technology, CNR, Milan, Italy
| | - Diego Monti
- Department of Organic and Industrial Chemistry and Centro Interdipartimentale Grandi Apparecchiature, University of Milan, and Institute of Molecular Science and Technology, CNR, Milan, Italy
| | - Sergio Melato
- Department of Organic and Industrial Chemistry and Centro Interdipartimentale Grandi Apparecchiature, University of Milan, and Institute of Molecular Science and Technology, CNR, Milan, Italy
| | - Enrico Caneva
- Department of Organic and Industrial Chemistry and Centro Interdipartimentale Grandi Apparecchiature, University of Milan, and Institute of Molecular Science and Technology, CNR, Milan, Italy
| | - Davide Prosperi
- Department of Organic and Industrial Chemistry and Centro Interdipartimentale Grandi Apparecchiature, University of Milan, and Institute of Molecular Science and Technology, CNR, Milan, Italy
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Mao J, Ajakaiye A, Lan Y, Olk DC, Ceballos M, Zhang T, Fan MZ, Forsberg CW. Chemical structures of manure from conventional and phytase transgenic pigs investigated by advanced solid-state NMR spectroscopy. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2008; 56:2131-8. [PMID: 17973446 DOI: 10.1021/jf071588x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Nonpoint phosphorus (P) pollution from animal manure is becoming a serious global problem. The current solution for the swine industry includes the enzyme phytase as a component in oil meal and cereal grain-based swine diets. A long-term approach is the production of transgenic phytase pigs that express phytase in the salivary glands and secrete it in the saliva. This study provides a detailed comparison of chemical structures of manure from conventional pigs and transgenic pigs that express phytase under growing and finishing phases using new solid-state NMR techniques. Spectral editing techniques and quantitative NMR techniques were used to identify and quantify specific functional groups. Two-dimensional (1)H- (13)C heteronuclear correlation NMR was used to detect their connectivity. Manure from conventional and transgenic pigs had similar peptide, carbohydrate, and fatty acid components, while those from transgenic pigs contained more carbohydrates and fewer nonpolar alkyls. There was no consistent effect from diets with or without supplemental phosphate or growth stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingdong Mao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Old Dominion University, 4541 Hampton Boulevard, Norfolk, Virginia 23529, USA.
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Lu Y, Freeland SJ. A quantitative investigation of the chemical space surrounding amino acid alphabet formation. J Theor Biol 2007; 250:349-61. [PMID: 18005995 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2007.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2007] [Revised: 09/21/2007] [Accepted: 10/08/2007] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
To date, explanations for the origin and emergence of the alphabet of amino acids encoded by the standard genetic code have been largely qualitative and speculative. Here, with the help of computational chemistry, we present the first quantitative exploration of nature's "choices" set against various models for plausible alternatives. Specifically, we consider the chemical space defined by three fundamental biophysical properties (size, charge, and hydrophobicity) to ask whether the amino acids that entered the genetic code exhibit a higher diversity than random samples of similar size drawn from several different definitions of amino acid possibility space. We found that in terms of the properties studied, the full, standard set of 20 biologically encoded amino acids is indeed significantly more diverse than an equivalently sized group drawn at random from the set of plausible, prebiotic alternatives (using the Murchison meteorite as a model for pre-biotic plausibility). However, when the set of possible amino acids is enlarged to include those that are produced by standard biosynthetic pathways (reflecting the widespread idea that many members of the standard alphabet were recruited in this way), then the genetically encoded amino acids can no longer be distinguished as more diverse than a random sample. Finally, if we turn to consider the overlap between biologically encoded amino acids and those that are prebiotically plausible, then we find that the biologically encoded subset are no more diverse as a group than would be expected from a random sample, unless the definition of "random sample" is adjusted to reflect possible prebiotic abundance (again, using the contents of the Murchison meteorite as our estimator). This final result is contingent on the accuracy of our computational estimates for amino acid properties, and prebiotic abundances, and an exploration of the likely effect of errors in our estimation reveals that our results should be treated with caution. We thus present this work as a first step in quantifying and thus testing various origin-of-life hypotheses regarding the origin and evolution of life's amino acid alphabet, and advocate the progress that would add valuable information in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Lu
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 25250, USA
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