1
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Christ O, Nestola F, Alvaro M. Open questions on carbonaceous matter in meteorites. Commun Chem 2024; 7:118. [PMID: 38811753 PMCID: PMC11137045 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-024-01200-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Christ
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Fabrizio Nestola
- Department of Geosciences, University of Padua, 35131, Padua, Italy
| | - Matteo Alvaro
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy
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2
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Danho A, Mardyukov A, Schreiner PR. The enol of isobutyric acid. Chem Commun (Camb) 2024; 60:5161-5164. [PMID: 38639644 PMCID: PMC11080965 DOI: 10.1039/d4cc01140f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
We present the gas-phase synthesis of 2-methyl-prop-1-ene-1,1-diol, an unreported higher energy tautomer of isobutyric acid. The enol was captured in an argon matrix at 3.5 K, characterized spectroscopically and by DFT computations. The enol rearranges likely photochemically to isobutyric acid and dimethylketene. We also identified propene, likely photochemically formed from dimethylketene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akkad Danho
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, Giessen 35392, Germany.
| | - Artur Mardyukov
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, Giessen 35392, Germany.
| | - Peter R Schreiner
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, Giessen 35392, Germany.
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3
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Mustieles-Del-Ser P, Ruano-Gallego D, Parro V. Immunoanalytical Detection of Conserved Peptides: Refining the Universe of Biomarker Targets in Planetary Exploration. Anal Chem 2024; 96:4764-4773. [PMID: 38484023 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c04165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Ancient peptides are remnants of early biochemistry that continue to play pivotal roles in current proteins. They are simple molecules yet complex enough to exhibit independent functions, being products of an evolved biochemistry at the interface of life and nonlife. Their adsorption to minerals may contribute to their stabilization and preservation over time. To investigate the feasibility of conserved peptide sequences and structures as target biomarkers for the search for life on Mars or other planetary bodies, we conducted a bioinformatics selection of well-conserved ancient peptides and produced polyclonal antibodies for their detection using fluorescence microarray immunoassays. Additionally, we explored how adsorbing peptides to Mars-representative minerals to form organomineral complexes could affect their immunological detection. The results demonstrated that the selected peptides exhibited autonomous folding, with some of them regaining their structure, even after denaturation. Furthermore, their cognate antibodies detected their conformational features regardless of amino acid sequences, thereby broadening the spectrum of target peptide sequences. While certain antibodies displayed unspecific binding to bare minerals, we validated that peptide-mineral complexes can be detected using sandwich immunoassays, as confirmed through desorption and competitive assays. Consequently, we conclude that the diversity of peptide sequences and structures suitable for use as target biomarkers in astrobiology can be constrained to a few well conserved sets, and they can be detected even if they are adsorbed in organomineral complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Mustieles-Del-Ser
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) INTA-CSIC, Torrejón de Ardoz 28850, Spain
- Departments of Physics and Mathematics, and Automatics, Universidad de Alcalá (UAH), Alcalá de Henares 28805, Spain
| | | | - Víctor Parro
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) INTA-CSIC, Torrejón de Ardoz 28850, Spain
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4
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Yusef-Buey M, Mineva T, Talbi D, Rapacioli M. Temperature driven transformations of glycine molecules embedded in interstellar ice. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:2414-2425. [PMID: 38168973 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp03575a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
The formation of glycine amino acid on ice grains in space raises fundamental questions about glycine chemistry in interstellar media. In this work, we studied glycine conformational space and the related tautomerization mechanisms in water media by means of QM/MM molecular dynamics simulations of four glycine conformational isomers (cc, ct, tc, and tt). Interstellar low density amorphous (LDA) ice and T = 20 K were considered as representative for a cold interstellar ice environment, while temperatures of 250 and 450 K were included to model rapid local heating in the ice. In addition to the LDA environment, water clusters with 4, 17, and 27 H2O molecules were subjected to QM/MM dynamics simulations that allowed glycine tautomerization behaviour to be evaluated in water surface-like environments. The tautomerization processes were found to be strongly dependent on the number of water molecules and specific isomer structure. All the glycine isomers mostly preserve their canonical "neutral" conformations under interstellar conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maysa Yusef-Buey
- Laboratoire de Chimie et Physique Quantique (LCPQ/FERMI), UMR5626, Université de Toulouse (UPS) and CNRS, 118 Route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Tzonka Mineva
- ICGM, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France.
| | - Dahbia Talbi
- LUPM, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France.
| | - Mathias Rapacioli
- Laboratoire de Chimie et Physique Quantique (LCPQ/FERMI), UMR5626, Université de Toulouse (UPS) and CNRS, 118 Route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
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5
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Ishikawa A, Kebukawa Y, Kobayashi K, Yoda I. Gamma-Ray-Induced Amino Acid Formation during Aqueous Alteration in Small Bodies: The Effects of Compositions of Starting Solutions. Life (Basel) 2024; 14:103. [PMID: 38255718 PMCID: PMC10817335 DOI: 10.3390/life14010103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Organic compounds, such as amino acids, are essential for the origin of life, and they may have been delivered to the prebiotic Earth from extra-terrestrial sources, such as carbonaceous chondrites. In the parent bodies of carbonaceous chondrites, the radioactive decays of short-lived radionuclides, such as 26Al, cause the melting of ice, and aqueous alteration occurs in the early stages of solar system formation. Many experimental studies have shown that complex organic matter, including amino acids and high-molecular-weight organic compounds, is produced by such hydrothermal processes. On the other hand, radiation, particularly gamma rays from radionuclides, can contribute to the formation of amino acids from simple molecules such as formaldehyde and ammonia. In this study, we investigated the details of gamma-ray-induced amino acid formation, focusing on the effects of different starting materials on aqueous solutions of formaldehyde, ammonia, methanol, and glycolaldehyde with various compositions, as well as hexamethylenetetramine. Alanine and glycine were the most abundantly formed amino acids after acid hydrolysis of gamma-ray-irradiated products. Amino acid formation increased with increasing gamma-ray irradiation doses. Lower amounts of ammonia relative to formaldehyde produced more amino acids. Glycolaldehyde significantly increased amino acid yields. Our results indicated that glycolaldehyde formation from formaldehyde enhanced by gamma rays is key for the subsequent production of amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akari Ishikawa
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan (K.K.)
| | - Yoko Kebukawa
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan (K.K.)
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Kensei Kobayashi
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan (K.K.)
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Isao Yoda
- Co60 Irradiation Facility, Laboratory for Zero-Carbon Energy, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
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6
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Li Y, Kurokawa H, Sekine Y, Kebukawa Y, Nakano Y, Kitadai N, Zhang N, Zang X, Ueno Y, Fujimori G, Nakamura R, Fujishima K, Isa J. Aqueous breakdown of aspartate and glutamate to n-ω-amino acids on the parent bodies of carbonaceous chondrites and asteroid Ryugu. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadh7845. [PMID: 38100590 PMCID: PMC10848742 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh7845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Amino acids in carbonaceous chondrites may have seeded the origin of life on Earth and possibly elsewhere. Recently, the return samples from a C-type asteroid Ryugu were found to contain amino acids with a similar distribution to Ivuna-type CI chondrites, suggesting the potential of amino acid abundances as molecular descriptors of parent body geochemistry. However, the chemical mechanisms responsible for the amino acid distributions remain to be elucidated particularly at low temperatures (<50°C). Here, we report that two representative proteinogenic amino acids, aspartic acid and glutamic acid, decompose to β-alanine and γ-aminobutyric acid, respectively, under simulated geoelectrochemical conditions at 25°C. This low-temperature conversion provides a plausible explanation for the enrichment of these two n-ω-amino acids compared to their precursors in heavily aqueously altered CI chondrites and Ryugu's return samples. The results suggest that these heavily aqueously altered samples originated from the water-rich mantle of their water/rock differentiated parent planetesimals where protein α-amino acids were decomposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yamei Li
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Kurokawa
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Department of Earth Science and Astronomy, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Yasuhito Sekine
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
- Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Japan Kanazawa University, Ishikawa, Kanazawa, Kakumachi 920-1192, Japan
- Planetary Plasma and Atmospheric Research Center, Tohoku University, Aramaki-aza-Aoba 6-3, Aoba, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8578, Japan
| | - Yoko Kebukawa
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogayaku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Yuko Nakano
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Norio Kitadai
- Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka 237-0061, Japan
| | - Naizhong Zhang
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Xiaofeng Zang
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Yuichiro Ueno
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
- Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka 237-0061, Japan
| | - Gen Fujimori
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogayaku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Ryuhei Nakamura
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Biofunctional Catalyst Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kosuke Fujishima
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, 5322 Endo, Fujisawa 252-0882, Japan
| | - Junko Isa
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
- Planetary Exploration Research Center, Chiba Institute of Technology, 2-17-1 Tsudanuma, Narashino, Chiba 275-0016, Japan
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7
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Sarimov RM, Serov DA, Gudkov SV. Hypomagnetic Conditions and Their Biological Action (Review). BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1513. [PMID: 38132339 PMCID: PMC10740674 DOI: 10.3390/biology12121513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
The geomagnetic field plays an important role in the existence of life on Earth. The study of the biological effects of (hypomagnetic conditions) HMC is an important task in magnetobiology. The fundamental importance is expanding and clarifying knowledge about the mechanisms of magnetic field interaction with living systems. The applied significance is improving the training of astronauts for long-term space expeditions. This review describes the effects of HMC on animals and plants, manifested at the cellular and organismal levels. General information is given about the probable mechanisms of HMC and geomagnetic field action on living systems. The main experimental approaches are described. We attempted to systematize quantitative data from various studies and identify general dependencies of the magnetobiology effects' value on HMC characteristics (induction, exposure duration) and the biological parameter under study. The most pronounced effects were found at the cellular level compared to the organismal level. Gene expression and protein activity appeared to be the most sensitive to HMC among the molecular cellular processes. The nervous system was found to be the most sensitive in the case of the organism level. The review may be of interest to biologists, physicians, physicists, and specialists in interdisciplinary fields.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sergey V. Gudkov
- Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilove St. 38, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (R.M.S.); (D.A.S.)
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8
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Sarimov RM, Serov DA, Gudkov SV. Biological Effects of Magnetic Storms and ELF Magnetic Fields. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1506. [PMID: 38132332 PMCID: PMC10740910 DOI: 10.3390/biology12121506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Magnetic fields are a constant and essential part of our environment. The main components of ambient magnetic fields are the constant part of the geomagnetic field, its fluctuations caused by magnetic storms, and man-made magnetic fields. These fields refer to extremely-low-frequency (<1 kHz) magnetic fields (ELF-MFs). Since the 1980s, a huge amount of data has been accumulated on the biological effects of magnetic fields, in particular ELF-MFs. However, a unified picture of the patterns of action of magnetic fields has not been formed. Even though a unified mechanism has not yet been generally accepted, several theories have been proposed. In this review, we attempted to take a new approach to analyzing the quantitative data on the effects of ELF-MFs to identify new potential areas for research. This review provides general descriptions of the main effects of magnetic storms and anthropogenic fields on living organisms (molecular-cellular level and whole organism) and a brief description of the main mechanisms of magnetic field effects on living organisms. This review may be of interest to specialists in the fields of biology, physics, medicine, and other interdisciplinary areas.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sergey V. Gudkov
- Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 38 Vavilova Street, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (R.M.S.); (D.A.S.)
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9
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Ishii C, Hamase K. Two-dimensional LC-MS/MS and three-dimensional LC analysis of chiral amino acids and related compounds in real-world matrices. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2023; 235:115627. [PMID: 37633168 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2023.115627] [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: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Amino acids normally have a chiral carbon and d/l-enantiomers are present. Due to the homochirality features on the present Earth, l-enantiomers are predominant in the living beings and the d-enantiomers are rare. Along with the progress and development of cutting edge analytical methods, several d-amino acids were found even in the higher animals including humans, and their biological functions and diagnostic values have also been reported. However, the amounts of these d-amino acids are much lower than the l-forms, and development/utilization of highly sensitive and selective methods are practically essential to avoid the disturbance from uncountable intrinsic substances. In the present review, multi-dimensional HPLC methods for the determination of chiral amino acids, especially two-dimensional LC-MS/MS and three-dimensional LC methods, and their applications to a variety of real-world matrices are summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiharu Ishii
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Kenji Hamase
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.
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10
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Pantaleone S, Corno M, Rimola A, Balucani N, Ugliengo P. Computational Study on the Water Corrosion Process at Schreibersite (Fe 2NiP) Surfaces: from Phosphide to Phosphates. ACS EARTH & SPACE CHEMISTRY 2023; 7:2050-2061. [PMID: 37876665 PMCID: PMC10591503 DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.3c00167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) is a fundamental element for whatever form of life, in the same way as the other biogenic macroelements (SONCH). The prebiotic origin of P is still a matter of debate, as the phosphates present on earth are trapped in almost insoluble solid matrixes (apatites) and, therefore, hardly available for inclusion in living systems in the prebiotic era. The most accepted theories regard a possible exogenous origin during the Archean Era, through the meteoritic bombardment, when tons of reactive P in the form of phosphide ((Fe,Ni)3P, schreibersite mineral) reached the primordial earth, reacting with water and providing oxygenated phosphorus compounds (including phosphates). In the last 20 years, laboratory experiments demonstrated that the corrosion process of schreibersite by water indeed leads to reactive phosphates that, in turn, react with other biological building blocks (nucleosides and simple sugars) to form more complex molecules (nucleotides and complex sugars). In the present paper, we study the water corrosion of different crystalline surfaces of schreibersite by means of periodic DFT (density functional theory) simulations. Our results show that water adsorbs molecularly on the most stable (110) surface but dissociates on the less stable (001) one, giving rise to further reactivity. Indeed, subsequent water adsorptions, up to the water monolayer coverage, show that, on the (001) surface, iron and nickel atoms are the first species undergoing the corrosion process and, in a second stage, the phosphorus atoms also get involved. When adsorbing up to three and four water molecules per unit cell, the most stable structures found are the phosphite and phosphate forms of phosphorus, respectively. Simulation of the vibrational spectra of the considered reaction products revealed that the experimental band at 2423 cm-1 attributed to the P-H stretching frequency is indeed predicted for a phosphite moiety attached to the schreibersite (001) surface upon chemisorption of up to three water molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Pantaleone
- Dipartimento
di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS) Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, via P. Giuria 7,, I-10125 Torino, Italy
- Dipartimento
di Chimica, Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università
degli Studi di Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, I-06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Marta Corno
- Dipartimento
di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS) Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, via P. Giuria 7,, I-10125 Torino, Italy
| | - Albert Rimola
- Departament
de Química, Universitat Autònoma
de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Nadia Balucani
- Dipartimento
di Chimica, Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università
degli Studi di Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, I-06123 Perugia, Italy
- Osservatorio
Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, I-50125 Firenze, Italy
- Université
Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Institut de Planétologie et d’Astrophysique
de Grenoble (IPAG), F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Piero Ugliengo
- Dipartimento
di Chimica and Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces (NIS) Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, via P. Giuria 7,, I-10125 Torino, Italy
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11
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Cleaves HJ, Hystad G, Prabhu A, Wong ML, Cody GD, Economon S, Hazen RM. A robust, agnostic molecular biosignature based on machine learning. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2307149120. [PMID: 37748080 PMCID: PMC10576141 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2307149120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The search for definitive biosignatures-unambiguous markers of past or present life-is a central goal of paleobiology and astrobiology. We used pyrolysis-gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry to analyze chemically disparate samples, including living cells, geologically processed fossil organic material, carbon-rich meteorites, and laboratory-synthesized organic compounds and mixtures. Data from each sample were employed as training and test subsets for machine-learning methods, which resulted in a model that can identify the biogenicity of both contemporary and ancient geologically processed samples with ~90% accuracy. These machine-learning methods do not rely on precise compound identification: Rather, the relational aspects of chromatographic and mass peaks provide the needed information, which underscores this method's utility for detecting alien biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- H. James Cleaves
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC20015
- Earth Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo152-8550, Japan
- Blue Marble Space Institute for Science, Seattle, WA98104
| | - Grethe Hystad
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Purdue University Northwest, Hammond, IN46323
| | - Anirudh Prabhu
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC20015
| | - Michael L. Wong
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC20015
- Sagan Fellow, NASA Hubble Fellowship Program, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD21218
| | - George D. Cody
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC20015
| | - Sophia Economon
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
| | - Robert M. Hazen
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC20015
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12
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Enya K, Yamagishi A, Kobayashi K, Yoshimura Y, Tasker EJ. A Comparative Study of Methods for Detecting Extraterrestrial Life in Exploration Missions to Mars and the Solar System II: Targeted Characteristics, Detection Techniques, and Their Combination for Survey, Detection, and Analysis. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:1099-1117. [PMID: 37768711 PMCID: PMC10616949 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
We present a comparative study of the methods used in the search for extraterrestrial microorganism life, including a summary table where different life-detection techniques can be easily compared as an aid to mission and instrument design aimed at life detection. This is an extension of previous study, where detection techniques for a series of target characteristics and molecules that could constitute a positive life detection were evaluated. This comparison has been extended with a particular consideration to sources of false positives, the causes of negative detection, the results of detection techniques when presented regarding terrestrial life, and additional science objectives that could be achieved outside the primary aim of detecting life. These additions address both the scientific and programmatic side of exploration mission design, where a successful proposal must demonstrate probable outcomes and be able to return valuable results even if no life is found. The applicability of the life detection techniques is considered for Earth life, Earth-independent life (life emerging independently from that on Earth,) and Earth-kin life (sharing a common ancestor with life on Earth), and techniques effective in detecting Earth life should also be useful in the detection of Earth-kin life. However, their applicability is not guaranteed for Earth-independent life. As found in our previous study, there exists no realistic single detection method that can conclusively determine the discovery of extraterrestrial life, and no method is superior to all others. In this study, we further consider combinations of detection techniques and identify imaging as a valuable addition to molecule detection methods, even in cases where there is insufficient resolution to observe the detailed morphology of a microbial cell. The search for extraterrestrial life is further divided into a survey-and-detection and analysis-and-conclusion step. These steps benefit from different detection techniques, but imaging is necessary for both parts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keigo Enya
- Department of Solar System Sciences, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara, Japan
- Space and Astronautical Science, Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Hayama, Japan
| | - Akihiko Yamagishi
- Department of Applied Life Science, School of Life Science, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kensei Kobayashi
- Department of Chemistry, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Japan
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Elizabeth J. Tasker
- Department of Solar System Sciences, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara, Japan
- Space and Astronautical Science, Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Hayama, Japan
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13
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Danho A, Mardyukov A, Schreiner PR. The enol of propionic acid. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023; 59:11524-11527. [PMID: 37672001 DOI: 10.1039/d3cc03711h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate the gas-phase synthesis of prop-1-ene-1,1-diol, the hitherto unreported higher energy tautomer of propionic acid. The enol was trapped in an argon matrix and characterized by IR and UV/Vis spectroscopy in combination with density functional theory computations. Upon photolysis, the enol rearranges to propionic acid and methylketene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akkad Danho
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, Giessen 35392, Germany.
| | - Artur Mardyukov
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, Giessen 35392, Germany.
| | - Peter R Schreiner
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, Giessen 35392, Germany.
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14
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Goettig P, Koch NG, Budisa N. Non-Canonical Amino Acids in Analyses of Protease Structure and Function. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14035. [PMID: 37762340 PMCID: PMC10531186 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241814035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
All known organisms encode 20 canonical amino acids by base triplets in the genetic code. The cellular translational machinery produces proteins consisting mainly of these amino acids. Several hundred natural amino acids serve important functions in metabolism, as scaffold molecules, and in signal transduction. New side chains are generated mainly by post-translational modifications, while others have altered backbones, such as the β- or γ-amino acids, or they undergo stereochemical inversion, e.g., in the case of D-amino acids. In addition, the number of non-canonical amino acids has further increased by chemical syntheses. Since many of these non-canonical amino acids confer resistance to proteolytic degradation, they are potential protease inhibitors and tools for specificity profiling studies in substrate optimization and enzyme inhibition. Other applications include in vitro and in vivo studies of enzyme kinetics, molecular interactions and bioimaging, to name a few. Amino acids with bio-orthogonal labels are particularly attractive, enabling various cross-link and click reactions for structure-functional studies. Here, we cover the latest developments in protease research with non-canonical amino acids, which opens up a great potential, e.g., for novel prodrugs activated by proteases or for other pharmaceutical compounds, some of which have already reached the clinical trial stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Goettig
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Paracelsus Medical University, Strubergasse 21, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Nikolaj G. Koch
- Biocatalysis Group, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany;
- Bioanalytics Group, Institute of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Nediljko Budisa
- Bioanalytics Group, Institute of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany;
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
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15
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Lininger A, Palermo G, Guglielmelli A, Nicoletta G, Goel M, Hinczewski M, Strangi G. Chirality in Light-Matter Interaction. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2107325. [PMID: 35532188 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202107325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The scientific effort to control the interaction between light and matter has grown exponentially in the last 2 decades. This growth has been aided by the development of scientific and technological tools enabling the manipulation of light at deeply sub-wavelength scales, unlocking a large variety of novel phenomena spanning traditionally distant research areas. Here, the role of chirality in light-matter interactions is reviewed by providing a broad overview of its properties, materials, and applications. A perspective on future developments is highlighted, including the growing role of machine learning in designing advanced chiroptical materials to enhance and control light-matter interactions across several scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Lininger
- Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, 2076 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Giovanna Palermo
- Department of Physics, NLHT-Lab, University of Calabria and CNR-NANOTEC Istituto di Nanotecnologia, Rende, 87036, Italy
| | - Alexa Guglielmelli
- Department of Physics, NLHT-Lab, University of Calabria and CNR-NANOTEC Istituto di Nanotecnologia, Rende, 87036, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Nicoletta
- Department of Physics, NLHT-Lab, University of Calabria and CNR-NANOTEC Istituto di Nanotecnologia, Rende, 87036, Italy
| | - Madhav Goel
- Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, 2076 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Michael Hinczewski
- Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, 2076 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Giuseppe Strangi
- Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, 2076 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Department of Physics, NLHT-Lab, University of Calabria and CNR-NANOTEC Istituto di Nanotecnologia, Rende, 87036, Italy
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16
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Kobayashi K, Ise JI, Aoki R, Kinoshita M, Naito K, Udo T, Kunwar B, Takahashi JI, Shibata H, Mita H, Fukuda H, Oguri Y, Kawamura K, Kebukawa Y, Airapetian VS. Formation of Amino Acids and Carboxylic Acids in Weakly Reducing Planetary Atmospheres by Solar Energetic Particles from the Young Sun. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13051103. [PMID: 37240748 DOI: 10.3390/life13051103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Life most likely started during the Hadean Eon; however, the environmental conditions which contributed to the complexity of its chemistry are poorly known. A better understanding of various environmental conditions, including global (heliospheric) and local (atmospheric, surface, and oceanic), along with the internal dynamic conditions of the early Earth, are required to understand the onset of abiogenesis. Herein, we examine the contributions of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and solar energetic particles (SEPs) associated with superflares from the young Sun to the formation of amino acids and carboxylic acids in weakly reduced gas mixtures representing the early Earth's atmosphere. We also compare the products with those introduced by lightning events and solar ultraviolet light (UV). In a series of laboratory experiments, we detected and characterized the formation of amino acids and carboxylic acids via proton irradiation of a mixture of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen, and water in various mixing ratios. These experiments show the detection of amino acids after acid hydrolysis when 0.5% (v/v) of initial methane was introduced to the gas mixture. In the set of experiments with spark discharges (simulation of lightning flashes) performed for the same gas mixture, we found that at least 15% methane was required to detect the formation of amino acids, and no amino acids were detected in experiments via UV irradiation, even when 50% methane was used. Carboxylic acids were formed in non-reducing gas mixtures (0% methane) by proton irradiation and spark discharges. Hence, we suggest that GCRs and SEP events from the young Sun represent the most effective energy sources for the prebiotic formation of biologically important organic compounds from weakly reducing atmospheres. Since the energy flux of space weather, which generated frequent SEPs from the young Sun in the first 600 million years after the birth of the solar system, was expected to be much greater than that of GCRs, we conclude that SEP-driven energetic protons are the most promising energy sources for the prebiotic production of bioorganic compounds in the atmosphere of the Hadean Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kensei Kobayashi
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Jun-Ichi Ise
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Ryohei Aoki
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Miei Kinoshita
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Koki Naito
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Takumi Udo
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Bhagawati Kunwar
- Chubu Institute of Advanced Studies, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
| | - Jun-Ichi Takahashi
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Hiromi Shibata
- SANKEN (The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research), Osaka University, Ibaraki 567-0047, Japan
| | - Hajime Mita
- Department of Life, Environment and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Fukuoka Institute of Technology, Fukuoka 811-0295, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Fukuda
- Open Facility Center, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Yoshiyuki Oguri
- Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Kimitaka Kawamura
- Chubu Institute of Advanced Studies, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
| | - Yoko Kebukawa
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Vladimir S Airapetian
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Sellers Exoplanetary Environments Collaboration, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- Department of Physics, American University, Washington, DC 20016, USA
- Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
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17
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Zhang Z, Jiang H, Ju P, Pan L, Rouillard J, Zhou G, Huang F, Hao J. Evaluating the abiotic synthesis potential and the stability of building blocks of life beneath an impact-induced steam atmosphere. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1032073. [PMID: 37089554 PMCID: PMC10116804 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1032073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
A prerequisite for prebiotic chemistry is the accumulation of critical building blocks of life. Some studies argue that more frequent impact events on the primitive Earth could have induced a more reducing steam atmosphere and thus favor widespread and more efficient synthesis of life building blocks. However, elevated temperature is also proposed to threaten the stability of organics and whether life building blocks could accumulate to appreciable levels in the reducing yet hot surface seawater beneath the steam atmosphere is still poorly examined. Here, we used a thermodynamic tool to examine the synthesis affinity of various life building blocks using inorganic gasses as reactants at elevated temperatures and corresponding steam pressures relevant with the steam-seawater interface. Our calculations show that although the synthesis affinity of all life building blocks decreases when temperature increases, many organics, including methane, methanol, and carboxylic acids, have positive synthesis affinity over a wide range of temperatures, implying that these species were favorable to form (>10-6 molal) in the surface seawater. However, cyanide and formaldehyde have overall negative affinities, suggesting that these critical compounds would tend to undergo hydrolysis in the surface seawaters. Most of the 18 investigated amino acids have positive affinities at temperature <220°C and their synthesis affinity increases under more alkaline conditions. Sugars, ribose, and nucleobases have overall negative synthesis affinities at the investigated range of temperatures. Synthesis affinities are shown to be sensitive to the hydrogen fugacity. Higher hydrogen fugacity (in equilibrium with FQI or IW) favors the synthesis and accumulation of nearly all the investigated compounds, except for HCN and its derivate products. In summary, our results suggest that reducing conditions induced by primitive impacts could indeed favor the synthesis/accumulation of some life building blocks, but some critical species, particularly HCN and nucleosides, were still unfavorable to accumulate to appreciable levels. Our results can provide helpful guidance for future efforts to search for or understand the stability of biomolecules on other planets like Mars and icy moons. We advocate examining craters formed by more reducing impactors to look for the preservation of prebiotic materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zongbin Zhang
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Haofan Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Pengcheng Ju
- State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Early Life and Environment, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
| | - Lu Pan
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- Centre for Star and Planet Formation, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Joti Rouillard
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Gentao Zhou
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Fang Huang
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Jihua Hao
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, Anhui, China
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18
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Hou Y, Xu X, Kong X. K +-Selectivity Due to Coordination with a D4d-Symmetric Homochiral Proline Octamer Verified by Mass Spectrometry and Infrared Photodissociation Spectroscopy. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:2660-2664. [PMID: 36892259 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c03838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Both phenomena of homochirality and sodium-potassium ion selectivity in cells have been regarded as important issues in the process of the origin of life. However, whether K+/Na+ selectivity was involved in homochirogenesis has never been considered. Herein, we report that a homochiral proline octamer shows high K+-selectivity. Coordination of K+ results in formation of a stable, noncovalent, D4d-symmetric complex, as demonstrated by mass spectrometry, infrared photodissociation spectroscopy, and calculations. A cooperative relationship between an eight-coordinated metal cation and a homochirality-restricted topological hydrogen-bonded proline network is the key for the K+/Na+ selectivity. As the complex comprises merely the basic chiral amino acid, it provides a possible linkage between K+/Na+ selectivity and the origin of chirality on the prebiotic Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yameng Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Xingshi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Xianglei Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
- Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
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19
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Paczelt V, Wende RC, Schreiner PR, Eckhardt AK. Glycine Imine-The Elusive α-Imino Acid Intermediate in the Reductive Amination of Glyoxylic Acid. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202218548. [PMID: 36656102 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202218548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Simple unhindered aldimines tend to hydrolyze or oligomerize and are therefore spectroscopically not well characterized. Herein we report the formation and spectroscopic characterization of the simplest imino acid, namely glycine imine, by cryogenic matrix isolation IR and UV/Vis spectroscopy. Glycine imine forms after UV irradiation of 2-azidoacetic acid by N2 extrusion in anti-(E,E)- and anti-(Z,Z)-conformation that can be photochemically interconverted. In matrix isolation pyrolysis experiments with 2-azidoacetic acid, glycine imine cannot be trapped as it further decarboxylates to aminomethylene. In aqueous solution glycine imine is hydrolyzed to hydroxy glycine and hydrated glyoxylic acid. At higher concentrations or in the presence of FeII SO4 as a reducing agent glycine imine undergoes self-reduction by oxidative decarboxylation chemistry. Glycine imine may be seen as one of the key reaction intermediates connecting prebiotic amino acid and sugar formation chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor Paczelt
- Lehrstuhl für Organische Chemie II, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Raffael C Wende
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Peter R Schreiner
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - André K Eckhardt
- Lehrstuhl für Organische Chemie II, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany
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20
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Jiang N, Melosso M, Alessandrini S, Bizzocchi L, Martin-Drumel MA, Pirali O, Puzzarini C. Insights into the molecular structure and infrared spectrum of the prebiotic species aminoacetonitrile. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:4754-4763. [PMID: 36691972 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp05179f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Aminoacetonitrile is an interstellar molecule with a prominent prebiotic role, already detected in the chemically-rich molecular cloud Sagittarius B2(N) and postulated to be present in the atmosphere of the largest Saturn's moon, Titan. To further support its observation in such remote environments and laboratory experiments aimed at improving our understanding of interstellar chemistry, we report a thorough spectroscopic and structural characterization of aminoacetonitrile. Equilibrium geometry, fundamental bands as well as spectroscopic and molecular parameters have been accurately computed by exploiting a composite scheme rooted in the coupled-cluster theory that accounts for the extrapolation to the complete basis set limit and core-correlation effects. In addition, a semi-experimental approach that combines ground-state rotational constants for different isotopic species and calculated vibrational corrections has been employed for the structure determination. From the experimental side, we report the analysis of the three strongest fundamental bands of aminoacetonitrile observed between 500 and 1000 cm-1 in high-resolution infrared spectra. More generally, all computed band positions are in excellent agreement with the present and previous experiments. The only exception is the ν15 band, for which we provide a revision of the experimental assignment, now in good agreement with theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ningjing Jiang
- Dipartimento di Chimica "Giacomo Ciamician", Università di Bologna, Via F. Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
| | - Mattia Melosso
- Scuola Superiore Meridionale, Largo San Marcellino 10, 80138 Naples, Italy.
| | - Silvia Alessandrini
- Dipartimento di Chimica "Giacomo Ciamician", Università di Bologna, Via F. Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy. .,Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Luca Bizzocchi
- Dipartimento di Chimica "Giacomo Ciamician", Università di Bologna, Via F. Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
| | | | - Olivier Pirali
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d'Orsay, 91405 Orsay, France.,SOLEIL Synchrotron, AILES beamline, l'Orme des Merisiers, 91190 Saint-Aubin, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Cristina Puzzarini
- Dipartimento di Chimica "Giacomo Ciamician", Università di Bologna, Via F. Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
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21
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Comte D, Lavy L, Bertier P, Calvo F, Daniel I, Farizon B, Farizon M, Märk TD. Glycine Peptide Chain Formation in the Gas Phase via Unimolecular Reactions. J Phys Chem A 2023; 127:775-780. [PMID: 36630603 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c08248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Peptide chain formation from amino acids such as glycine is a key step in the emergence of life. Unlike their synthesis by living systems, how peptide chains grow under abiotic conditions is an open question given the variety of organic compounds discovered in various astrophysical environments, comets and meteorites. We propose a new abiotic route in the presence of protonated molecular dimers of glycine in a cold gaseous atmosphere without further need for a solid catalytic substrate. The results provide evidence for the preferential formation of mixed protonated dimers of glycine consisting of a dipeptide and a glycine molecule instead of pure protonated glycine dimers. Additional measurements mimicking a cosmic-ray impact in terms of internal excitation show that a single gas-phase collision induces polymerization via dehydration in both the mixed and pure dimer ions. Peptide chain growth is thus demonstrated to occur via a unimolecular gas-phase reaction in an excited cluster ion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Comte
- Université Lyon; Université Lyon 1, CNRS/IN2P3, UMR 5822, Institut de Physique des 2 Infinis de Lyon, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France.,Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Léo Lavy
- Université Lyon; Université Lyon 1, CNRS/IN2P3, UMR 5822, Institut de Physique des 2 Infinis de Lyon, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Paul Bertier
- Université Lyon; Université Lyon 1, CNRS/IN2P3, UMR 5822, Institut de Physique des 2 Infinis de Lyon, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Florent Calvo
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS LiPhy, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Isabelle Daniel
- Université Lyon; ENS Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5276, LGL-TPE, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Bernadette Farizon
- Université Lyon; Université Lyon 1, CNRS/IN2P3, UMR 5822, Institut de Physique des 2 Infinis de Lyon, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Michel Farizon
- Université Lyon; Université Lyon 1, CNRS/IN2P3, UMR 5822, Institut de Physique des 2 Infinis de Lyon, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Tilmann D Märk
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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22
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Juhas M. The World of Microorganisms. BRIEF LESSONS IN MICROBIOLOGY 2023:1-16. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-29544-7_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
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23
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Baqué M, Backhaus T, Meeßen J, Hanke F, Böttger U, Ramkissoon N, Olsson-Francis K, Baumgärtner M, Billi D, Cassaro A, de la Torre Noetzel R, Demets R, Edwards H, Ehrenfreund P, Elsaesser A, Foing B, Foucher F, Huwe B, Joshi J, Kozyrovska N, Lasch P, Lee N, Leuko S, Onofri S, Ott S, Pacelli C, Rabbow E, Rothschild L, Schulze-Makuch D, Selbmann L, Serrano P, Szewzyk U, Verseux C, Wagner D, Westall F, Zucconi L, de Vera JPP. Biosignature stability in space enables their use for life detection on Mars. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabn7412. [PMID: 36070383 PMCID: PMC9451166 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn7412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Two rover missions to Mars aim to detect biomolecules as a sign of extinct or extant life with, among other instruments, Raman spectrometers. However, there are many unknowns about the stability of Raman-detectable biomolecules in the martian environment, clouding the interpretation of the results. To quantify Raman-detectable biomolecule stability, we exposed seven biomolecules for 469 days to a simulated martian environment outside the International Space Station. Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) strongly changed the Raman spectra signals, but only minor change was observed when samples were shielded from UVR. These findings provide support for Mars mission operations searching for biosignatures in the subsurface. This experiment demonstrates the detectability of biomolecules by Raman spectroscopy in Mars regolith analogs after space exposure and lays the groundwork for a consolidated space-proven database of spectroscopy biosignatures in targeted environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mickael Baqué
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Planetary Research, Planetary Laboratories Department, Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Theresa Backhaus
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität (HHU), Institut für Botanik, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Joachim Meeßen
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität (HHU), Institut für Botanik, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Franziska Hanke
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Optical Sensor Systems, Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ute Böttger
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Optical Sensor Systems, Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Nisha Ramkissoon
- AstrobiologyOU, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Karen Olsson-Francis
- AstrobiologyOU, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Michael Baumgärtner
- Microbial Geoecology and Astrobiology, Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå university, Linnaeus väg 6, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Daniela Billi
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessia Cassaro
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
| | - Rosa de la Torre Noetzel
- Departamento de Observación de la Tierra, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Torrejón de Ardoz-28850, Madrid, Spain
| | - René Demets
- European Space Agency (ESA), European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC),, Noordwijk, Netherlands
| | - Howell Edwards
- University of Bradford, University Analytical Centre, Division of Chemical and Forensic Sciences, Raman Spectroscopy Group, West Yorkshire, UK
| | - Pascale Ehrenfreund
- Leiden Observatory, Laboratory Astrophysics, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
- George Washington University, Space Policy Institute, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Andreas Elsaesser
- Freie Universitaet Berlin, Experimental Biophysics and Space Sciences, Institute of Experimental Physics; Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Bernard Foing
- Leiden Observatory, Laboratory Astrophysics, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
- Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1081-1087, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Frédéric Foucher
- CNRS Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, UPR-4301, Rue Charles Sadron, CS80054, 45071 Orléans Cedex 2, France
| | - Björn Huwe
- Biodiversity Research/Systematic Botany, University of Potsdam, Maulbeerallee 1, D-14469 Potsdam, Germany
- Department Technology Assessment and Substance Cycles, Leibniz- Institute for Agriculture Engineering and Bioeconomy, Max-Eyth-Allee 100, D-14469 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jasmin Joshi
- Institute for Landscape and Open Space, Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, Seestrasse 10, 8640 Rapperswil, Switzerland
| | - Natalia Kozyrovska
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics of NASU, Acad. Zabolotnoho str.150, 03680, Kyiv Ukraine
| | - Peter Lasch
- Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens (ZBS 6), Robert Koch Institute, Nordufer 20, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Natuschka Lee
- Microbial Geoecology and Astrobiology, Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå university, Linnaeus väg 6, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Stefan Leuko
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, Linder Höhe, 51147 Köln, Germany
| | - Silvano Onofri
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
| | - Sieglinde Ott
- Heinrich-Heine-Universität (HHU), Institut für Botanik, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Claudia Pacelli
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
- Research and Science Department, Italian Space Agency (ASI), Via del Politecnico snc, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Elke Rabbow
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, Linder Höhe, 51147 Köln, Germany
| | - Lynn Rothschild
- NASA Ames Research Center, Mail Stop 239-20, P.O. Box 1, Moffett Field, CA 94035-0001, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Dirk Schulze-Makuch
- Technical University Berlin, ZAA, Hardenbergstr. 36, D-10623 Berlin, Germany
- Section Geomicrobiology, German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Experimental Limnology, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), 12587, Stechlin, Germany
| | - Laura Selbmann
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
- Mycological Section, Italian Antarctic National Museum (MNA), 16121 Genoa, Italy
| | - Paloma Serrano
- Section Geomicrobiology, German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Ulrich Szewzyk
- Institute of Environmental Technology, Environmental Microbiology, Technical University Berlin, Ernst-Reuter-Platz 1, Berlin, 10587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Cyprien Verseux
- Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM), University of Bremen, Am Fallturm 2, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Dirk Wagner
- Section Geomicrobiology, German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Institute of Geosciences, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Frances Westall
- CNRS Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, UPR-4301, Rue Charles Sadron, CS80054, 45071 Orléans Cedex 2, France
| | - Laura Zucconi
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
| | - Jean-Pierre P. de Vera
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Microgravity User Support Center (MUSC), Linder Höhe, 51147 Köln, Germany
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24
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C M, Frenkel-Pinter M, Smith KH, Rivera-Santana VF, Sargon AB, Jacobson KC, Guzman-Martinez A, Williams LD, Leman LJ, Liotta CL, Grover MA, Hud NV. Water-Based Dynamic Depsipeptide Chemistry: Building Block Recycling and Oligomer Distribution Control Using Hydration-Dehydration Cycles. JACS AU 2022; 2:1395-1404. [PMID: 35783166 PMCID: PMC9241005 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.2c00087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The high kinetic barrier to amide bond formation has historically placed narrow constraints on its utility in reversible chemistry applications. Slow kinetics has limited the use of amides for the generation of diverse combinatorial libraries and selection of target molecules. Current strategies for peptide-based dynamic chemistries require the use of nonpolar co-solvents or catalysts or the incorporation of functional groups that facilitate dynamic chemistry between peptides. In light of these limitations, we explored the use of depsipeptides: biorelevant copolymers of amino and hydroxy acids that would circumvent the challenges associated with dynamic peptide chemistry. Here, we describe a model system of N-(α-hydroxyacyl)-amino acid building blocks that reversibly polymerize to form depsipeptides when subjected to two-step evaporation-rehydration cycling under moderate conditions. The hydroxyl groups of these units allow for dynamic ester chemistry between short peptide segments through unmodified carboxyl termini. Selective recycling of building blocks is achieved by exploiting the differential hydrolytic lifetimes of depsipeptide amide and ester bonds, which we show are controllable by adjusting the solution pH, temperature, and time as well as the building blocks' side chains. We demonstrate that the polymerization and breakdown of the depsipeptides are facilitated by cyclic morpholinedione intermediates, and further show how structural properties dictate half-lives and product oligomer distributions using multifunctional building blocks. These results establish a cyclic mode of ester-based reversible depsipeptide formation that temporally separates the polymerization and depolymerization steps for the building blocks and may have implications for prebiotic polymer chemical evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin C
- NSF/NASA
Center for Chemical Evolution, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
- School
of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Georgia
Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Moran Frenkel-Pinter
- NSF/NASA
Center for Chemical Evolution, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
- School
of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Georgia
Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Kelvin H. Smith
- NSF/NASA
Center for Chemical Evolution, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
- School
of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | | | - Alyssa B. Sargon
- NSF/NASA
Center for Chemical Evolution, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
- School
of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Kaitlin C. Jacobson
- NSF/NASA
Center for Chemical Evolution, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
- School
of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | | | - Loren Dean Williams
- NSF/NASA
Center for Chemical Evolution, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
- School
of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Georgia
Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Luke J. Leman
- NSF/NASA
Center for Chemical Evolution, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Charles L. Liotta
- NSF/NASA
Center for Chemical Evolution, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
- School
of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Georgia
Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Martha A. Grover
- NSF/NASA
Center for Chemical Evolution, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
- School
of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Nicholas V. Hud
- NSF/NASA
Center for Chemical Evolution, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
- School
of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Georgia
Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
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25
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Glycine amino acid transformation under impacts by small solar system bodies, simulated via high-pressure torsion method. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5677. [PMID: 35383225 PMCID: PMC8983748 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09735-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Impacts by small solar system bodies (meteoroids, asteroids, comets and transitional objects) are characterized by a combination of energy dynamics and chemical modification on both terrestrial and small solar system bodies. In this context, the discovery of glycine amino acid in meteorites and comets has led to a hypothesis that impacts by astronomical bodies could contribute to delivery and polymerization of amino acids in the early Earth to generate proteins as essential molecules for life. Besides the possibility of abiotic polymerization of glycine, its decomposition by impacts could generate reactive groups to form other essential organic biomolecules. In this study, the high-pressure torsion (HPT) method, as a new platform for simulation of impacts by small solar system bodies, was applied to glycine. In comparison with high-pressure shock experiments, the HPT method simultaneously introduces high pressure and deformation strain. It was found that glycine was not polymerized in the experimental condition assayed, but partially decomposed to ethanol under pressures of 1 and 6 GPa and shear strains of < 120 m/m. The detection of ethanol implies the inherent availability of remaining nitrogen-containing groups, which can incorporate to the formation of other organic molecules at the impact site. In addition, this finding highlights a possibility of the origin of ethanol previously detected in comets.
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26
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Schwaab G, Pérez de Tudela R, Mani D, Pal N, Roy TK, Gabas F, Conte R, Durán Caballero L, Ceotto M, Marx D, Havenith M. Zwitter Ionization of Glycine at Outer Space Conditions due to Microhydration by Six Water Molecules. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 128:033001. [PMID: 35119904 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.128.033001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We investigate glycine microsolvation with water molecules, mimicking astrophysical conditions, in our laboratory by embedding these clusters in helium nanodroplets at 0.37 K. We recorded mass selective infrared spectra in the frequency range 1500-1800 cm^{-1} where two bands centered at 1630 and 1724 cm^{-1} were observed. By comparison with the extensive accompanying calculations, the band at 1630 cm^{-1} was assigned to the COO^{-} asymmetric stretching mode of the zwitter ion and the band at 1724 cm^{-1} was assigned to redshifted C=O stretch within neutral clusters. We show that zwitter ion formation of amino acids readily occurs with only few water molecules available even under extreme conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerhard Schwaab
- Lehrstuhl für Physikalische Chemie II, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | | | - Devendra Mani
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
| | - Nitish Pal
- Lehrstuhl für Physikalische Chemie II, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Tarun Kumar Roy
- Lehrstuhl für Physikalische Chemie II, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Fabio Gabas
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Riccardo Conte
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | | | - Michele Ceotto
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Dominik Marx
- Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Chemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Martina Havenith
- Lehrstuhl für Physikalische Chemie II, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
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27
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Kleimeier NF, Kaiser RI. Bottom-Up Synthesis of 1,1-Ethenediol (H 2CC(OH) 2)─The Simplest Unsaturated Geminal Diol─In Interstellar Analogue Ices. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:229-235. [PMID: 34967646 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c03515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Because of their nucleophilic character and high reactivity, enols─reaction intermediates carrying a hydroxyl group connected to a carbon-carbon double bond─play a key role in the formation of complex organic molecules in astrobiology and biochemistry. Here, we report the first bottom-up preparation of 1,1-ethenediol (H2CC(OH)2)─the simplest unsaturated geminal enol of acetic acid (CH3COOH) and potential precursor for the formation of glycine─in interstellar analogue ices of carbon dioxide and methane processed by proxies of galactic cosmic rays. These enols can easily form via nonequilibrium chemistry in low temperature (10 K) interstellar ices at abundances orders of magnitude higher than thermodynamically predicted. These energetically less favorable tautomers remain stable in ice-coated interstellar nanoparticles in molecular clouds and also upon sublimation into the gas phase in star forming regions thus providing the raw material to a complex and exotic organic chemistry under extreme conditions in deep space.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Fabian Kleimeier
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Ma̅noa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, United States
- W. M. Keck Laboratory in Astrochemistry, University of Hawai'i at Ma̅noa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, United States
| | - Ralf I Kaiser
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Ma̅noa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, United States
- W. M. Keck Laboratory in Astrochemistry, University of Hawai'i at Ma̅noa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, United States
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28
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Bastian CD, Rabitz H. Hitting Times of Some Critical Events in RNA Origins of Life. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11121419. [PMID: 34947949 PMCID: PMC8705503 DOI: 10.3390/life11121419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Can a replicase be found in the vast sequence space by random drift? We partially answer this question through a proof-of-concept study of the times of occurrence (hitting times) of some critical events in the origins of life for low-dimensional RNA sequences using a mathematical model and stochastic simulation studies from Python software. We parameterize fitness and similarity landscapes for polymerases and study a replicating population of sequences (randomly) participating in template-directed polymerization. Under the ansatz of localization where sequence proximity correlates with spatial proximity of sequences, we find that, for a replicating population of sequences, the hitting and establishment of a high-fidelity replicator depends critically on the polymerase fitness and sequence (spatial) similarity landscapes and on sequence dimension. Probability of hitting is dominated by landscape curvature, whereas hitting time is dominated by sequence dimension. Surface chemistries, compartmentalization, and decay increase hitting times. Compartmentalization by vesicles reveals a trade-off between vesicle formation rate and replicative mass, suggesting that compartmentalization is necessary to ensure sufficient concentration of precursors. Metabolism is thought to be necessary to replication by supplying precursors of nucleobase synthesis. We suggest that the dynamics of the search for a high-fidelity replicase evolved mostly during the final period and, upon hitting, would have been followed by genomic adaptation of genes and to compartmentalization and metabolism, effecting degree-of-freedom gains of replication channel control over domain and state to ensure the fidelity and safe operations of the primordial genetic communication system of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caleb Deen Bastian
- Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA;
- Correspondence:
| | - Hershel Rabitz
- Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA;
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
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29
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Kobayashi K, Mita H, Kebukawa Y, Nakagawa K, Kaneko T, Obayashi Y, Sato T, Yokoo T, Minematsu S, Fukuda H, Oguri Y, Yoda I, Yoshida S, Kanda K, Imai E, Yano H, Hashimoto H, Yokobori SI, Yamagishi A. Space Exposure of Amino Acids and Their Precursors during the Tanpopo Mission. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:1479-1493. [PMID: 34793260 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Amino acids have been detected in extraterrestrial bodies such as carbonaceous chondrites (CCs), which suggests that extraterrestrial organics could be the source of the first life on Earth, and interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) or micrometeorites (MMs) are promising carriers of extraterrestrial organic carbon. Some amino acids found in CCs are amino acid precursors, but these have not been well characterized. The Tanpopo mission was conducted in Earth orbit from 2015 to 2019, and the stability of glycine (Gly), hydantoin (Hyd), isovaline (Ival), 5-ethyl-5-methylhydantoin (EMHyd), and complex organics formed by proton irradiation from CO, NH3, and H2O (CAW) in space were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and/or gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The target substances showed a logarithmic decomposition over 1-3 years upon space exposure. Recoveries of Gly and CAW were higher than those of Hyd, Ival, and EMHyd. Ground simulation experiments showed different results: Hyd was more stable than Gly. Solar ultraviolet light was fatal to all organics, and they required protection when carried by IDPs/MMs. Thus, complex amino acid precursors (such as CAW) were possibly more robust than simple precursors during transportation to primitive Earth. The Tanpopo 2 mission is currently being conducted to expose organics to more probable space conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kensei Kobayashi
- Department of Chemistry, Yokohama National University, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Hajime Mita
- Department of Life, Environment and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka Institute of Technology, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yoko Kebukawa
- Department of Chemistry, Yokohama National University, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Kazumichi Nakagawa
- The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takeo Kaneko
- Department of Chemistry, Yokohama National University, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Yumiko Obayashi
- Department of Chemistry, Yokohama National University, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Tomohito Sato
- Department of Chemistry, Yokohama National University, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Takuya Yokoo
- Department of Chemistry, Yokohama National University, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Saaya Minematsu
- Department of Life, Environment and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka Institute of Technology, Fukuoka, Japan
| | | | | | - Isao Yoda
- Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoshi Yoshida
- National Institute for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Inage-ku, Chiba, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Kanda
- University of Hyogo, Kamigori-cho, Ako-gun, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Eiichi Imai
- Department of Bioengineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan
| | - Hajime Yano
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (ISAS/JAXA), Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Hashimoto
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (ISAS/JAXA), Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichi Yokobori
- School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akihiko Yamagishi
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (ISAS/JAXA), Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
- School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
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30
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Yamagishi A, Yokobori SI, Kobayashi K, Mita H, Yabuta H, Tabata M, Higashide M, Yano H. Scientific Targets of Tanpopo: Astrobiology Exposure and Micrometeoroid Capture Experiments at the Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility of the International Space Station. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:1451-1460. [PMID: 34449275 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The Tanpopo experiment was the first Japanese astrobiology mission on board the Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility on the International Space Station (ISS). The experiments were designed to address two important astrobiological topics, panspermia and the chemical evolution process toward the generation of life. These experiments also tested low-density aerogel and monitored the microdebris environment around low Earth orbit. The following six subthemes were identified to address these goals: (1) Capture of microbes in space: Estimation of the upper limit of microbe density in low Earth orbit; (2) Exposure of microbes in space: Estimation of the survival time course of microbes in the space environment; (3) Capture of cosmic dust on the ISS and analysis of organics: Detection of the possible presence of organic compounds in cosmic dust; (4) Alteration of organic compounds in space environments: Evaluation of decomposition time courses of organic compounds in space; (5) Space verification of the Tanpopo hyper-low-density aerogel: Durability and particle-capturing capability of aerogel; (6) Monitoring of the number of space debris: Time-dependent change in space debris environment. Subthemes 1 and 2 address the panspermia hypothesis, whereas 3 and 4 address the chemical evolution. The last two subthemes contribute to space technology development. Some of the results have been published previously or are included in this issue. This article summarizes the current status of the Tanpopo experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiko Yamagishi
- School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichi Yokobori
- School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kensei Kobayashi
- Department of Chemistry, Yokohama National University, Hodogayaku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Hajime Mita
- Department of Life, Environment and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Fukuoka Institute of Technology, Higashiku, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Hikaru Yabuta
- Department of Earth and Planetary Systems Science, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Makoto Tabata
- Department of Physics, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Masumi Higashide
- Research and Development Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Chofu, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hajime Yano
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
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31
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Crespi S, Vadivel D, Bellisario A, Dondi D. Computational Study of the Stability of Natural Amino Acid isomers. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2021; 51:287-298. [PMID: 34739664 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-021-09615-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The secular debate on the origin of life on our planet represents one of the open challenges for the scientific community. In this endeavour, chemistry has a pivotal role in disclosing novel scenarios that allow us to understand how the formation of simple organic molecules would be possible in the early primitive geological ages of Earth. Amino acids play a crucial role in biological processes. They are known to be formed in experiments simulating primitive conditions and were found in meteoric samples retrieved throughout the years. Understanding their formation is a key step for prebiotic chemistry. Following this reasoning, we performed a computational investigation over 100'000 structural isomers of natural amino acids. The results we have found suggest that natural amino acids are among the most thermodynamically stable structures and, therefore, one of the most probable ones to be synthesised among their possible isomers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Crespi
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Dhanalakshmi Vadivel
- Dipartimento Di Chimica, Università Di Pavia, Via Taramelli 12, 27100, Pavia, Italy. .,Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Via Bassi 6, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Alfredo Bellisario
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Molecular Biophysics, Husargatan 3, 752 37, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Daniele Dondi
- Dipartimento Di Chimica, Università Di Pavia, Via Taramelli 12, 27100, Pavia, Italy.,Istituto Nazionale Di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Via Bassi 6, 27100, Pavia, Italy
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32
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Sheng M, Silvestrini F, Biczysko M, Puzzarini C. Structural and Vibrational Properties of Amino Acids from Composite Schemes and Double-Hybrid DFT: Hydrogen Bonding in Serine as a Test Case. J Phys Chem A 2021; 125:9099-9114. [PMID: 34623165 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.1c06993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The structures, relative stabilities, and vibrational wavenumbers of the two most stable conformers of serine, stabilized by the O-H···N, O-H···O═C and N-H···O-H intramolecular hydrogen bonds, have been evaluated by means of state-of-the-art composite schemes based on coupled-cluster (CC) theory. The so-called "cheap" composite approach (CCSD(T)/(CBS+CV)MP2) allowed determination of accurate equilibrium structures and harmonic vibrational wavenumbers, also pointing out significant corrections beyond the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ level. These accurate results stand as a reference for benchmarking selected hybrid and double-hybrid, dispersion-corrected DFT functionals. B2PLYP-D3 and DSDPBEP86 in conjunction with a triple-ζ basis set have been confirmed as effective methodologies for structural and spectroscopic studies of medium-sized flexible biomolecules, also showing intramolecular hydrogen bonding. These best performing double-hybrid functionals have been employed to simulate IR spectra by means of vibrational perturbation theory, also considering hybrid CC/DFT schemes. The best overall agreement with experiment, with mean absolute error of 8 cm-1, has been obtained by combining CCSD(T)/(CBS+CV)MP2 harmonic wavenumbers with B2PLYP-D3/maug-cc-pVTZ anharmonic corrections. Finally, a composite scheme entirely based on CCSD(T) calculations (CCSD(T)/CBS+CV) has been employed for energetics, further confirming that serine II is the most stable conformer, also when zero-point vibrational energy corrections are included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingzhu Sheng
- International Centre for Quantum and Molecular Structures, Physics Department, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai, 200444, China
| | - Filippo Silvestrini
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Malgorzata Biczysko
- International Centre for Quantum and Molecular Structures, Physics Department, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai, 200444, China
| | - Cristina Puzzarini
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy
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Ball BT, Vanovac S, Odbadrakh TT, Shields GC. Monomers of Glycine and Serine Have a Limited Ability to Hydrate in the Atmosphere. J Phys Chem A 2021; 125:8454-8467. [PMID: 34529444 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.1c05466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The role of atmospheric aerosols on climate change is one of the biggest uncertainties in most global climate models. Organic aerosols have been identified as potential cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), and amino acids are organic molecules that could serve as CCN. Amino acids make up a significant portion of the total organic material in the atmosphere, and herein we present a systematic study of hydration for two of the most common atmospheric amino acids, glycine and serine. We compute DLPNO/CCSD(T)//M08-HX/MG3S thermodynamic properties and atmospheric concentrations of Gly(H2O)n and Ser(H2O)n, where n = 1-5. We predict that serine-water clusters have higher concentrations at n = 1 and 5, while glycine-water clusters have higher concentrations at n = 2-4. However, both glycine and serine are inferred to exist primarily in their nonhydrated monomer forms in the absence of other species such as sulfuric acid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T Ball
- Department of Chemistry, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina 29613, United States
| | - Sara Vanovac
- Department of Chemistry, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina 29613, United States
| | - Tuguldur T Odbadrakh
- Department of Chemistry, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina 29613, United States
| | - George C Shields
- Department of Chemistry, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina 29613, United States
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Joseph V, Levine M. Ronald C.D. Breslow (1931-2017): A career in review. Bioorg Chem 2021; 115:104868. [PMID: 34523507 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2021.104868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Reviewed herein are key research accomplishments of Professor Ronald Charles D. Breslow (1931-2017) throughout his more than 60 year research career. These accomplishments span a wide range of topics, most notably physical organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and bioorganic chemistry. These topics are reviewed, as are topics of molecular electronics and origin of chirality, which combine to make up the bulk of this review. Also reviewed briefly are Breslow's contributions to the broader chemistry profession, including his work for the American Chemical Society and his work promoting gender equity. Throughout the article, efforts are made to put Breslow's accomplishments in the context of other work being done at the time, as well as to include subsequent iterations and elaborations of the research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Joseph
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Ariel University, Israel
| | - Mindy Levine
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Ariel University, Israel.
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Role of the Interchangeable Cations on the Sorption of Fumaric and Succinic Acids on Montmorillonite and its Relevance in Prebiotic Chemistry. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2021; 51:87-116. [PMID: 34251577 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-021-09609-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
It has been proposed that clays could have served as key factors in promoting the increase in complexity of organic matter in primitive terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments. The aim of this work is to study the adsorption-desorption of two dicarboxylic acids, fumaric and succinic acids, onto clay minerals (sodium and iron montmorillonite). These two acids may have played a role in prebiotic chemistry, and in extant biochemistry, they constitute an important redox couple (e.g. in Krebs cycle) in extant biochemistry. Smectite clays might have played a key role in the origins of life. The effect of pH on sorption has been tested; the analysis was performed by UV-vis and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence. The results show that chemisorption is the main responsible of the adsorption processes among the dicarboxylic acids and clays. The role of the ion, present in the clay, is fundamental in the adsorption processes of dicarboxylic acids. These ions (sodium and iron) were selected due to their relevance on the geochemical environments that possibly existed into the primitive Earth. Different mechanisms are proposed to explain the sorption of dicarboxylic acids in the clay. In this work, we propose the formation of complexes among metal cations in the clays and dicarboxylic acids. The organic complexes were probably formed in the prebiotic environments enabling chemical processes, prior to the appearance of life. Thus, the data presented here are relevant to the origin of life studies.
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36
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Mardyukov A, Keul F, Schreiner PR. 1,1,2‐Ethenetriol: The Enol of Glycolic Acid, a High‐Energy Prebiotic Molecule. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202104436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Artur Mardyukov
- Institute of Organic Chemistry Justus Liebig University Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17 35392 Giessen Germany
| | - Felix Keul
- Institute of Organic Chemistry Justus Liebig University Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17 35392 Giessen Germany
| | - Peter R. Schreiner
- Institute of Organic Chemistry Justus Liebig University Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17 35392 Giessen Germany
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Mardyukov A, Keul F, Schreiner PR. 1,1,2-Ethenetriol: The Enol of Glycolic Acid, a High-Energy Prebiotic Molecule. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:15313-15316. [PMID: 33950559 PMCID: PMC8362078 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202104436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
As low‐temperature conditions (e.g. in space) prohibit reactions requiring large activation energies, an alternative mechanism for follow‐up transformations of highly stable molecules involves the reactions of higher energy isomers that were generated in a different environment. Hence, one working model for the formation of larger organic molecules is their generation from high‐lying isomers of otherwise rather stable molecules. As an example, we present here the synthesis as well as IR and UV/Vis spectroscopic identification of the previously elusive 1,1,2‐ethenetriol, the higher energy enol tautomer of glycolic acid, a rather stable and hence unreactive biological building block. The title compound was generated in the gas phase by flash vacuum pyrolysis of tartronic acid at 400 °C and was subsequently trapped in argon matrices at 10 K. The spectral assignments are supported by B3LYP/6–311++G(2d,2p) computations. Upon photolysis at λ=180–254 nm, 1,1,2‐ethenetriol rearranges to glycolic acid and ketene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artur Mardyukov
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Felix Keul
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Peter R Schreiner
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, 35392, Giessen, Germany
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Molecular dynamics reveals formation path of benzonitrile and other molecules in conditions relevant to the interstellar medium. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2101371118. [PMID: 33941678 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2101371118] [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] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic nitrogen heterocycles are believed to be widespread in different areas of the interstellar medium. However, the astronomical detection of specific aromatic molecules is extremely challenging. As a result, only a few aromatic molecules have been identified, and very little is known about how they are formed in different areas of the interstellar medium. Recently, McGuire et al. [Science 359, 202-205 (2018)] detected the simple aromatic molecule benzonitrile in Taurus Molecular Cloud-1. Although benzonitrile has been observed, the molecular mechanism for its formation is still unknown. In this study, we use quantum chemistry and ab initio molecular dynamics to model ionization processes of van der Waals clusters containing cyanoacetylene and acetylene molecules. We demonstrate computationally that the clusters' ionization leads to molecular formation. For pure cyanoacetylene clusters, we observe bond formation among two and three monomer units, whereas in mixed clusters, bond formation can also occur in up to four units. We show that the large amount of energy available to the system after ionization can lead to barrier crossing and the formation of complex molecules. Our study reveals the rich chemistry that is observed upon ionization of the clusters, with a wide variety of molecules being formed. Benzonitrile is among the observed molecules, and we study the potential energy path for its formation. These results also offer insights that can guide astronomers in their search for aromatic molecules in the interstellar medium.
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Megevand V, Viennet JC, Balan E, Gauthier M, Rosier P, Morand M, Garino Y, Guillaumet M, Pont S, Beyssac O, Bernard S. Impact of UV Radiation on the Raman Signal of Cystine: Implications for the Detection of S-rich Organics on Mars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:566-574. [PMID: 33691484 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2340] [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] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Traces of life may have been preserved in ancient martian rocks in the form of molecular fossils. Yet the surface of Mars is continuously exposed to intense UV radiation detrimental to the preservation of organics. Because the payload of the next rovers going to Mars to seek traces of life will comprise Raman spectroscopy tools, laboratory simulations that document the effect of UV radiation on the Raman signal of organics appear critically needed. The experiments conducted here evidence that UV radiation is directly responsible for the increase of disorder and for the creation of electronic defects and radicals within the molecular structure of S-rich organics such as cystine, enhancing the contribution of light diffusion processes to the Raman signal. The present results suggest that long exposure to UV radiation would ultimately be responsible for the total degradation of the Raman signal of cystine. Yet because the degradation induced by UV is not instantaneous, it should be possible to detect freshly excavated S-rich organics with the Raman instruments on board the rovers. Alternatively, given the very short lifetime of organic fluorescence (nanoseconds) compared to most mineral luminescence (micro- to milliseconds), exploiting fluorescence signals might allow the detection of S-rich organics on Mars. In any case, as illustrated here, we should not expect to detect pristine S-rich organic compounds on Mars, but rather by-products of their degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Megevand
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Minéralogie, Physique des Matériaux et Cosmochimie, CNRS UMR 7590, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - J C Viennet
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Minéralogie, Physique des Matériaux et Cosmochimie, CNRS UMR 7590, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - E Balan
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Minéralogie, Physique des Matériaux et Cosmochimie, CNRS UMR 7590, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - M Gauthier
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Minéralogie, Physique des Matériaux et Cosmochimie, CNRS UMR 7590, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - P Rosier
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Minéralogie, Physique des Matériaux et Cosmochimie, CNRS UMR 7590, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - M Morand
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Minéralogie, Physique des Matériaux et Cosmochimie, CNRS UMR 7590, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Y Garino
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Minéralogie, Physique des Matériaux et Cosmochimie, CNRS UMR 7590, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - M Guillaumet
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Minéralogie, Physique des Matériaux et Cosmochimie, CNRS UMR 7590, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - S Pont
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Minéralogie, Physique des Matériaux et Cosmochimie, CNRS UMR 7590, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - O Beyssac
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Minéralogie, Physique des Matériaux et Cosmochimie, CNRS UMR 7590, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - S Bernard
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Minéralogie, Physique des Matériaux et Cosmochimie, CNRS UMR 7590, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
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40
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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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41
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An Individual Amino Acid as a Possible Prebiotic Catalyst. CHEMSYSTEMSCHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/syst.202100005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Joshi MP, Sawant AA, Rajamani S. Spontaneous emergence of membrane-forming protoamphiphiles from a lipid-amino acid mixture under wet-dry cycles. Chem Sci 2021; 12:2970-2978. [PMID: 34164065 PMCID: PMC8179413 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc05650b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Dynamic interplay between peptide synthesis and membrane assembly would have been crucial for the emergence of protocells on the prebiotic Earth. However, the effect of membrane-forming amphiphiles on peptide synthesis, under prebiotically plausible conditions, remains relatively unexplored. Here we discern the effect of a phospholipid on peptide synthesis using a non-activated amino acid, under wet-dry cycles. We report two competing processes simultaneously forming peptides and N-acyl amino acids (NAAs) in a single-pot reaction from a common set of reactants. NAA synthesis occurs via an ester-amide exchange, which is the first demonstration of this phenomenon in a lipid-amino acid system. Furthermore, NAAs self-assemble into vesicles at acidic pH, signifying their ability to form protocellular membranes under acidic geothermal conditions. Our work highlights the importance of exploring the co-evolutionary interactions between membrane assembly and peptide synthesis, having implications for the emergence of hitherto uncharacterized compounds of unknown prebiotic relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manesh Prakash Joshi
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Dr. Homi Bhabha Road Pune Maharashtra 411008 India +91-020-25899790 +91-020-25908061
| | - Anupam A Sawant
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Dr. Homi Bhabha Road Pune Maharashtra 411008 India +91-020-25899790 +91-020-25908061
| | - Sudha Rajamani
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Dr. Homi Bhabha Road Pune Maharashtra 411008 India +91-020-25899790 +91-020-25908061
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Nesterov-Mueller A, Popov R, Seligmann H. Combinatorial Fusion Rules to Describe Codon Assignment in the Standard Genetic Code. Life (Basel) 2020; 11:life11010004. [PMID: 33374866 PMCID: PMC7824455 DOI: 10.3390/life11010004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We propose combinatorial fusion rules that describe the codon assignment in the standard genetic code simply and uniformly for all canonical amino acids. These rules become obvious if the origin of the standard genetic code is considered as a result of a fusion of four protocodes: Two dominant AU and GC protocodes and two recessive AU and GC protocodes. The biochemical meaning of the fusion rules consists of retaining the complementarity between cognate codons of the small hydrophobic amino acids and large charged or polar amino acids within the protocodes. The proto tRNAs were assembled in form of two kissing hairpins with 9-base and 10-base loops in the case of dominant protocodes and two 9-base loops in the case of recessive protocodes. The fusion rules reveal the connection between the stop codons, the non-canonical amino acids, pyrrolysine and selenocysteine, and deviations in the translation of mitochondria. Using fusion rules, we predicted the existence of additional amino acids that are essential for the development of the standard genetic code. The validity of the proposed partition of the genetic code into dominant and recessive protocodes is considered referring to state-of-the-art hypotheses. The formation of two aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase classes is compatible with four-protocode partition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Nesterov-Mueller
- Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany; (R.P.); (H.S.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Roman Popov
- Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany; (R.P.); (H.S.)
| | - Hervé Seligmann
- Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany; (R.P.); (H.S.)
- The National Natural History Collections, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
- Laboratory AGEIS EA 7407, Team Tools for e-GnosisMedical & LabcomCNRS/UGA/OrangeLabs Telecoms4Health, Faculty of Medicine, Université Grenoble Alpes, F-38700 La Tronche, France
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44
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Aponte JC, Elsila JE, Hein JE, Dworkin JP, Glavin DP, McLain HL, Parker ET, Cao T, Berger EL, Burton AS. Analysis of amino acids, hydroxy acids, and amines in CR chondrites. METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE 2020; 55:2422-2439. [PMID: 33536738 PMCID: PMC7839561 DOI: 10.1111/maps.13586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The abundances, relative distributions, and enantiomeric and isotopic compositions of amines, amino acids, and hydroxy acids in Miller Range (MIL) 090001 and MIL 090657 meteorites were determined. Chiral distributions and isotopic compositions confirmed that most of the compounds detected were indigenous to the meteorites and not the result of terrestrial contamination. Combined with data in the literature, suites of these compounds have now been analyzed in a set of six CR chondrites, spanning aqueous alteration types 2.0-2.8. Amino acid abundances ranged from 17 to 3300 nmol g-1 across the six CRs; hydroxy acid abundances ranged from 180 to 1800 nmol g-1; and amine abundances ranged from 40 to 2100 nmol g-1. For amino acids and amines, the weakly altered chondrites contained the highest abundances, whereas hydroxy acids were most abundant in the more altered CR2.0 chondrite. Because water contents in the meteorites are orders of magnitude greater than soluble organics, synthesis of hydroxy acids, which requires water, may be less affected by aqueous alteration than amines and amino acids that require nitrogen-bearing precursors. Two chiral amino acids that were plausibly extraterrestrial in origin were present with slight enantiomeric excesses: L-isovaline (~10% excess) and D-β-amino-n-butyric acid (~9% excess); further studies are needed to verify that the chiral excess in the latter compound is truly extraterrestrial in origin. The isotopic compositions of compounds reported here did not reveal definitive links between the different compound classes such as common synthetic precursors, but will provide a framework for further future in-depth analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- José C. Aponte
- Department of ChemistryCatholic University of AmericaWashingtonDistrict of Columbia20064USA
- Solar System Exploration DivisionNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbeltMaryland20771USA
| | - Jamie E. Elsila
- Solar System Exploration DivisionNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbeltMaryland20771USA
| | - Jason E. Hein
- University of British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaV6T 1Z2Canada
| | - Jason P. Dworkin
- Solar System Exploration DivisionNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbeltMaryland20771USA
| | - Daniel P. Glavin
- Solar System Exploration DivisionNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbeltMaryland20771USA
| | - Hannah L. McLain
- Department of ChemistryCatholic University of AmericaWashingtonDistrict of Columbia20064USA
- Solar System Exploration DivisionNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbeltMaryland20771USA
| | - Eric T. Parker
- Solar System Exploration DivisionNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbeltMaryland20771USA
| | - Timothy Cao
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of CaliforniaMercedCalifornia95343USA
| | - Eve L. Berger
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science DivisionTexas State University / Jacobs JETS ContractNASA Johnson Space CenterHoustonTexas77058USA
| | - Aaron S. Burton
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science DivisionNASA Johnson Space CenterHoustonTexas77058USA
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45
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Lange J, Djago F, Eddhif B, Remaury QB, Ruf A, Leitner NKV, Hendecourt LLS, Danger G, Rodier CG, Papot S, Poinot P. A Novel Proteomics-Based Strategy for the Investigation of Peptide Sequences in Extraterrestrial Samples. J Proteome Res 2020; 20:1444-1450. [PMID: 33078610 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Method development is one of the objectives of the astrophysical community for characterizing the organic matter in objects of the solar system. In this context, we report on the development of an enzyme-catalyzed stereoselective hydrolysis, inspired by the proteomics discipline, which has enabled the indirect detection of peptide sequences in extraterrestrial samples. A proof of concept has been performed on a Murchison extract. We show that our approach can successfully highlight l- and d-amino acids involved in peptide bonds. While we show that some d-amino acids must have been involved in peptide bonds, we cannot at this stage conclude on the indigenous or exogenous nature of these biopolymers. However, our strategy constitutes the first step toward direct UPLC-MS evidence of peptide sequences in extraterrestrial samples. It should thus contribute to deepening knowledge on the molecules available in the solar system, hence providing new clues about their chemical history, especially on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Lange
- UMR CNRS 7285, Institut de Chimie des Milieux et Matériaux de Poitiers (IC2MP), University of Poitiers, 4 rue Michel-Brunet, TSA 51106, 86073 Poitiers cedex 9, France
| | - Fabiola Djago
- UMR CNRS 7285, Institut de Chimie des Milieux et Matériaux de Poitiers (IC2MP), University of Poitiers, 4 rue Michel-Brunet, TSA 51106, 86073 Poitiers cedex 9, France
| | - Balkis Eddhif
- UMR CNRS 7285, Institut de Chimie des Milieux et Matériaux de Poitiers (IC2MP), University of Poitiers, 4 rue Michel-Brunet, TSA 51106, 86073 Poitiers cedex 9, France
| | - Quentin B Remaury
- UMR CNRS 7285, Institut de Chimie des Milieux et Matériaux de Poitiers (IC2MP), University of Poitiers, 4 rue Michel-Brunet, TSA 51106, 86073 Poitiers cedex 9, France
| | - Alexander Ruf
- UMR CNRS 7345, Physics of Ionic and Molecular Interactions (PIIM), ASTRO Team, Aix-Marseille University, Avenue Escadrille Normandie-Niémen, 13397 Marseille cedex 20, France
| | - Nathalie K V Leitner
- UMR CNRS 7285, Institut de Chimie des Milieux et Matériaux de Poitiers (IC2MP), University of Poitiers, 4 rue Michel-Brunet, TSA 51106, 86073 Poitiers cedex 9, France
| | - Louis L S Hendecourt
- UMR CNRS 7345, Physics of Ionic and Molecular Interactions (PIIM), ASTRO Team, Aix-Marseille University, Avenue Escadrille Normandie-Niémen, 13397 Marseille cedex 20, France
| | - Grégoire Danger
- UMR CNRS 7345, Physics of Ionic and Molecular Interactions (PIIM), ASTRO Team, Aix-Marseille University, Avenue Escadrille Normandie-Niémen, 13397 Marseille cedex 20, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 13397 Marseille, France
| | - Claude G Rodier
- UMR CNRS 7285, Institut de Chimie des Milieux et Matériaux de Poitiers (IC2MP), University of Poitiers, 4 rue Michel-Brunet, TSA 51106, 86073 Poitiers cedex 9, France
| | - Sébastien Papot
- UMR CNRS 7285, Institut de Chimie des Milieux et Matériaux de Poitiers (IC2MP), University of Poitiers, 4 rue Michel-Brunet, TSA 51106, 86073 Poitiers cedex 9, France
| | - Pauline Poinot
- UMR CNRS 7285, Institut de Chimie des Milieux et Matériaux de Poitiers (IC2MP), University of Poitiers, 4 rue Michel-Brunet, TSA 51106, 86073 Poitiers cedex 9, France
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Mardyukov A, Keul F, Schreiner PR. Preparation and characterization of the enol of acetamide: 1-aminoethenol, a high-energy prebiotic molecule. Chem Sci 2020; 11:12358-12363. [PMID: 34094445 PMCID: PMC8162875 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc04906a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Amide tautomers, which constitute the higher-energy amide bond linkage, not only are key for a variety of biological but also prebiotic processes. In this work, we present the gas-phase synthesis of 1-aminoethenol, the higher-energy tautomer of acetamide, that has not been spectroscopically identified to date. The title compound was prepared by flash vacuum pyrolysis of malonamic acid and was characterized employing matrix isolation infrared as well as ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy. Coupled-cluster computations at the AE-CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ level of theory support the spectroscopic assignments. Upon photolysis at λ > 270 nm, the enol rearranges to acetamide as well as ketene and ammonia. As the latter two are even higher in energy, they constitute viable starting materials for formation of the title compound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artur Mardyukov
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17 35392 Giessen Germany
| | - Felix Keul
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17 35392 Giessen Germany
| | - Peter R Schreiner
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17 35392 Giessen Germany
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A plausible metal-free ancestral analogue of the Krebs cycle composed entirely of α-ketoacids. Nat Chem 2020; 12:1016-1022. [PMID: 33046840 PMCID: PMC8570912 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-020-00560-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Efforts to decipher the prebiotic roots of metabolic pathways have focused on recapitulating modern biological transformations, with metals typically serving in place of cofactors and enzymes. Here, we show that the reaction of glyoxylate with pyruvate under mild aqueous conditions produces a series of α-ketoacid analogs of the reductive citric acid cycle, without the need for metals or enzyme catalysts. The transformations proceed in the same sequence as the reverse Krebs cycle, resembling a proto-metabolic pathway, with glyoxylate acting as both the carbon source and reducing agent. Additionally, the α-ketoacid analogs provide a natural route for the synthesis of amino acids by transamination with glycine, paralleling the extant metabolic mechanisms, and obviating the need for metal-catalyzed abiotic reductive aminations. This emerging sequence of prebiotic reactions could have set the stage for the advent of increasingly sophisticated pathways operating under catalytic control.
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Stein T, Bera PP, Lee TJ, Head-Gordon M. Molecular growth upon ionization of van der Waals clusters containing HCCH and HCN is a pathway to prebiotic molecules. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:20337-20348. [PMID: 32895691 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp03350b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The growth mechanisms of organic molecules in an ionizing environment such as the interstellar medium are not completely understood. Here we examine by means of ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations and density functional theory (DFT) computations the possibility of bond formation and molecular growth upon ionization of van der Waals clusters of pure HCN clusters, and mixed clusters of HCN and HCCH, both of which are widespread in the interstellar medium. Ionization of van der Waals clusters can potentially lead to growth in low temperature and low-density environments. Our results show, that upon ionization of the pure HCN clusters, strongly bound stable structures are formed that contain NH bonds, and growth beyond pairwise HCN molecules is seen only in a small percentage of cases. In contrast, mixed clusters, where HCCH is preferentially ionized over HCN, can grow up to 3 or 4 units long with new carbon-carbon and carbon-nitrogen covalent bonds. Moreover, cyclic molecules formed, such as the radical cation of pyridine, which is a prebiotic molecule. The results presented here are significant as they provide a feasible pathway for molecular growth of small organic molecules containing both carbon and nitrogen in cold and relatively denser environments such as in dense molecular clouds but closer to the photo-dissociation regions, and protoplanetary disks. In the mechanism we propose, first, a neutral van der Waals cluster is formed. Once the cluster is formed it can undergo photoionization which leads to chemical reactivity without any reaction barrier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamar Stein
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. and Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Partha P Bera
- Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, MS 245-6, Moffett Field, Mountain View, CA 94035, USA and Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, NASA Research Park, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - Timothy J Lee
- Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, MS 245-6, Moffett Field, Mountain View, CA 94035, USA
| | - Martin Head-Gordon
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. and Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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49
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Abstract
Delivery of water and organics by asteroid and comet impacts may have influenced prebiotic chemistry on the early Earth. Some recent prebiotic chemistry experiments emphasize hydrogen cyanide (HCN) as a feedstock molecule for the formation of sugars, ribonucleotides, amino acids, and lipid precursors. Here, we assess how much HCN originally contained in a comet would survive impact, using parametric temperature and pressure profiles together with a time-dependent chemistry model. We find that HCN survival mainly depends on whether the impact is hot enough to thermally decompose H2O into reactive radicals, and HCN is therefore rather insensitive to the details of the chemistry. In the most favorable impacts (low impact angle, low velocity, small radius), this temperature threshold is not reached, and intact delivery of HCN is possible. We estimate the global delivery of HCN during a period of Early and Late Heavy Bombardment of the early Earth, as well as local HCN concentrations achieved by individual impacts. In the latter case, comet impacts can provide prebiotically interesting HCN levels for thousands to millions of years, depending on properties of the impactor and of the local environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoe R Todd
- Department of Astronomy, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard and Smithsonian, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Karin I Öberg
- Department of Astronomy, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard and Smithsonian, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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50
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Osinski G, Cockell C, Pontefract A, Sapers H. The Role of Meteorite Impacts in the Origin of Life. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:1121-1149. [PMID: 32876492 PMCID: PMC7499892 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The conditions, timing, and setting for the origin of life on Earth and whether life exists elsewhere in our solar system and beyond represent some of the most fundamental scientific questions of our time. Although the bombardment of planets and satellites by asteroids and comets has long been viewed as a destructive process that would have presented a barrier to the emergence of life and frustrated or extinguished life, we provide a comprehensive synthesis of data and observations on the beneficial role of impacts in a wide range of prebiotic and biological processes. In the context of previously proposed environments for the origin of life on Earth, we discuss how meteorite impacts can generate both subaerial and submarine hydrothermal vents, abundant hydrothermal-sedimentary settings, and impact analogues for volcanic pumice rafts and splash pools. Impact events can also deliver and/or generate many of the necessary chemical ingredients for life and catalytic substrates such as clays as well. The role that impact cratering plays in fracturing planetary crusts and its effects on deep subsurface habitats for life are also discussed. In summary, we propose that meteorite impact events are a fundamental geobiological process in planetary evolution that played an important role in the origin of life on Earth. We conclude with the recommendation that impact craters should be considered prime sites in the search for evidence of past life on Mars. Furthermore, unlike other geological processes such as volcanism or plate tectonics, impact cratering is ubiquitous on planetary bodies throughout the Universe and is independent of size, composition, and distance from the host star. Impact events thus provide a mechanism with the potential to generate habitable planets, moons, and asteroids throughout the Solar System and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- G.R. Osinski
- Institute for Earth and Space Exploration, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
- Address correspondence to: Dr. Gordon Osinski, Department of Earth Sciences, 1151 Richmond Street, University of Western Ontario, London ON, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - C.S. Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - A. Pontefract
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - H.M. Sapers
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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