1
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Ono C, Sunami S, Ishii Y, Kim HJ, Kakegawa T, Benner SA, Furukawa Y. Abiotic Ribose Synthesis Under Aqueous Environments with Various Chemical Conditions. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:489-497. [PMID: 38696654 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
Ribose is the defining sugar in ribonucleic acid (RNA), which is often proposed to have carried the genetic information and catalyzed the biological reactions of the first life on Earth. Thus, abiological processes that yield ribose under prebiotic conditions have been studied for decades. However, aqueous environments required for the formation of ribose from materials available in quantity under geologically reasonable models, where the ribose formed is not immediately destroyed, remain unclear. This is due in large part to the challenge of analysis of carbohydrates formed under a wide range of aqueous conditions. Thus, the formation of ribose on prebiotic Earth has sometimes been questioned. We investigated the quantitative effects of pH, temperature, cation, and the concentrations of formaldehyde and glycolaldehyde on the synthesis of diverse sugars, including ribose. The results suggest a range of conditions that produce ribose and that ribose could have formed in constrained aquifers on prebiotic Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chinatsu Ono
- Department of Earth Science, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan
| | - Sako Sunami
- Department of Earth Science, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yuka Ishii
- Department of Earth Science, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan
| | - Hyo-Joong Kim
- Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Alachua, Florida, USA
- Firebird Biomolecular Sciences LLC, Alachua, Florida, USA
| | - Takeshi Kakegawa
- Department of Earth Science, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan
| | - Steven A Benner
- Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Alachua, Florida, USA
- Firebird Biomolecular Sciences LLC, Alachua, Florida, USA
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2
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Knoll P, Ouyang B, Steinbock O. Patterns Lead the Way to Far-from-Equilibrium Materials. ACS PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY AU 2024; 4:19-30. [PMID: 38283788 PMCID: PMC10811769 DOI: 10.1021/acsphyschemau.3c00050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
The universe is a complex fabric of repeating patterns that unfold their beauty in system-specific diversity. The periodic table, crystallography, and the genetic code are classic examples that illustrate how even a small number of rules generate a vast range of shapes and structures. Today, we are on the brink of an AI-driven revolution that will reveal an unprecedented number of novel patterns, many of which will escape human intuition and expertise. We suggest that in the second half of the 21st century, the challenge for Physical Chemistry will be to guide and interpret these advances in the broader context of physical sciences and materials-related engineering. If we succeed in this role, Physical Chemistry will be able to extend to new horizons. In this article, we will discuss examples that strike us as particularly promising, specifically the discovery of high-entropy and far-from-equilibrium materials as well as applications to origins-of-life research and the search for life on other planets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Knoll
- School
of Physics and Astronomy, Institute for Condensed Matter and Complex
Systems, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, U.K.
| | - Bin Ouyang
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State
University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4390, United States
| | - Oliver Steinbock
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State
University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4390, United States
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3
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Chieffo C, Shvetsova A, Skorda F, Lopez A, Fiore M. The Origin and Early Evolution of Life: Homochirality Emergence in Prebiotic Environments. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:1368-1382. [PMID: 37862227 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Homochirality is one of the signatures of life. Numerous geological and prebiotic chemistry studies have proved that disordered soups containing small organic molecules, gases, liquids, and minerals (such as those containing phosphorous) yielded racemic mixtures of building blocks for biomolecule assembly. Polymers obtained from these bricks should have been enantiopure with functional properties similar to modern biomolecules or heterochiral with some functions such as catalyzing a chemical transformation unspecifically. Up until now, no clues have been found as to how symmetry breaking occurred. In this review, we highlight the principal achievements regarding the emergence of homochirality during the prebiotic synthesis of building blocks. Furthermore, we tried to focus on approaches based on prebiotic systems chemistry (bottom-up) and laboratory scales to simulate plausible prebiotic messy environments for the emergence of life. We aim with this review to assemble, even partially, the puzzle pieces of the origin of life regarding the relevant phenomenon of homochiral symmetry breaking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Chieffo
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Institut de Chimie et Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires (UMR 5246), Villeurbanne, France
- Laboratoire des biomolécules, LBM, Département de chimie, École normale supérieure, PSL University, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Anastasiia Shvetsova
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Institut de Chimie et Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires (UMR 5246), Villeurbanne, France
- Université de Lyon, Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon: Terre, Planètes, Environnement, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Fryni Skorda
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Institut de Chimie et Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires (UMR 5246), Villeurbanne, France
- Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Ecully, France
| | - Augustin Lopez
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Institut de Chimie et Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires (UMR 5246), Villeurbanne, France
| | - Michele Fiore
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Institut de Chimie et Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires (UMR 5246), Villeurbanne, France
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4
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Santos TCB, Futerman AH. The fats of the matter: Lipids in prebiotic chemistry and in origin of life studies. Prog Lipid Res 2023; 92:101253. [PMID: 37659458 DOI: 10.1016/j.plipres.2023.101253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
The unique biophysical and biochemical properties of lipids render them crucial in most models of the origin of life (OoL). Many studies have attempted to delineate the prebiotic pathways by which lipids were formed, how micelles and vesicles were generated, and how these micelles and vesicles became selectively permeable towards the chemical precursors required to initiate and support biochemistry and inheritance. Our analysis of a number of such studies highlights the extremely narrow and limited range of conditions by which an experiment is considered to have successfully modeled a role for lipids in an OoL experiment. This is in line with a recent proposal that bias is introduced into OoL studies by the extent and the kind of human intervention. It is self-evident that OoL studies can only be performed by human intervention, and we now discuss the possibility that some assumptions and simplifications inherent in such experimental approaches do not permit determination of mechanistic insight into the roles of lipids in the OoL. With these limitations in mind, we suggest that more nuanced experimental approaches than those currently pursued may be required to elucidate the generation and function of lipids, micelles and vesicles in the OoL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania C B Santos
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
| | - Anthony H Futerman
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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5
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Yi R, Mojica M, Fahrenbach AC, James Cleaves H, Krishnamurthy R, Liotta CL. Carbonyl Migration in Uronates Affords a Potential Prebiotic Pathway for Pentose Production. JACS AU 2023; 3:2522-2535. [PMID: 37772180 PMCID: PMC10523364 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Carbohydrate biosynthesis is fundamental to modern terrestrial biochemistry, but how this collection of metabolic pathways originated remains an open question. Prebiotic sugar synthesis has focused primarily on the formose reaction and Kiliani-Fischer homologation; however, how they can transition to extant biochemical pathways has not been studied. Herein, a nonenzymatic pathway for pentose production with similar chemical transformations as those of the pentose phosphate pathway is demonstrated. Starting from a C6 aldonate, namely, gluconate, nonselective chemical oxidation yields a mixture of 2-oxo-, 4-oxo-, 5-oxo-, and 6-oxo-uronate regioisomers. Regardless at which carbinol the oxidation takes place, carbonyl migration enables β-decarboxylation to yield pentoses. In comparison, the pentose phosphate pathway selectively oxidizes 6-phosphogluconate to afford the 3-oxo-uronate derivative, which undergoes facile subsequent β-decarboxylation and carbonyl migration to afford ribose 5-phosphate. The similarities between these two pathways and the potential implications for prebiotic chemistry and protometabolism are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiqin Yi
- Earth-Life
Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Mike Mojica
- School
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute
of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Albert C. Fahrenbach
- School
of Chemistry, Australian Centre for Astrobiology and the UNSW RNA
Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - H. James Cleaves
- Blue
Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington 98154, United States
| | | | - Charles L. Liotta
- School
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute
of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
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6
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Omran A. Plausibility of the Formose Reaction in Alkaline Hydrothermal Vent Environments. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2023; 53:113-125. [PMID: 32749559 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-020-09599-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Prebiotic processes required a reliable source of free energy and complex chemical mixtures that may have included sugars. The formose reaction is a potential source of those sugars. At moderate to elevated temperature and pH ranges, these sugars rapidly decay. Here it is shown that CaCO3-based chemical gardens catalyze the formose reaction to produce glucose, ribose, and other monosaccharides. These thin inorganic membranes are explored as analogs of hydrothermal vent materials-a possible place for the origin of life-and similarly exposed to very steep pH gradients. Supported by simulations of a simple reaction-diffusion model, this study shows that such gradients allow for the dynamic accumulation of sugars in specific layers of the thin membrane, effectively protecting formose sugar yields. Therefore, the formose reaction may be a plausible prebiotic reaction in alkaline hydrothermal vent environments, possibly setting the stage for an RNA world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Omran
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4390, USA.
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7
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Prebiotic Synthesis of ATP: A Terrestrial Volcanism-Dependent Pathway. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13030731. [PMID: 36983886 PMCID: PMC10053121 DOI: 10.3390/life13030731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a multifunctional small molecule, necessary for all modern Earth life, which must be a component of the last universal common ancestor (LUCA). However, the relatively complex structure of ATP causes doubts about its accessibility on prebiotic Earth. In this paper, based on previous studies on the synthesis of ATP components, a plausible prebiotic pathway yielding this key molecule is constructed, which relies on terrestrial volcanism to provide the required materials and suitable conditions.
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8
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Zhao F, Akanuma S. Ancestral Sequence Reconstruction of the Ribosomal Protein uS8 and Reduction of Amino Acid Usage to a Smaller Alphabet. J Mol Evol 2023; 91:10-23. [PMID: 36396786 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-022-10078-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the origin and early evolution of proteins is important for unveiling how the RNA world developed into an RNA-protein world. Because the composition of organic molecules in the Earth's primitive environment was plausibly not as diverse as today, the number of different amino acids used in early protein synthesis is likely to be substantially less than the current 20 proteinogenic residues. In this study, we have explored the thermal stability and RNA binding of ancestral variants of the ribosomal protein uS8 constructed from a reduced-alphabet of amino acids. First, we built a phylogenetic tree based on the amino acid sequences of uS8 from multiple extant organisms and used the tree to infer two plausible amino acid sequences corresponding to the last bacterial common ancestor of uS8. Both ancestral proteins were thermally stable and bound to an RNA fragment. By eliminating individual amino acid letters and monitoring thermal stability and RNA binding in the resulting proteins, we reduced the size of the amino acid set constituting one of the ancestral proteins, eventually finding that convergent sequences consisting of 15- or 14-amino acid alphabets still folded into stable structures that bound to the RNA fragment. Furthermore, a simplified variant reconstructed from a 13-amino-acid alphabet retained affinity for the RNA fragment, although it lost conformational stability. Collectively, RNA-binding activity may be achieved with a subset of the current 20 amino acids, raising the possibility of a simpler composition of RNA-binding proteins in the earliest stage of protein evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangzheng Zhao
- Faculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University, 2-579-15, Mikajima, Tokorozawa, Saitama, 359-1192, Japan
| | - Satoshi Akanuma
- Faculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University, 2-579-15, Mikajima, Tokorozawa, Saitama, 359-1192, Japan.
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9
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Roche TP, Fialho DM, Menor-Salván C, Krishnamurthy R, Schuster GB, Hud NV. A Plausible Prebiotic Path to Nucleosides: Ribosides and Related Aldosides Generated from Ribulose, Fructose, and Similar Abiotic Precursors. Chemistry 2023; 29:e202203036. [PMID: 36261321 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202203036] [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: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The prebiotic origins of ribose, nucleosides, and eventually RNA are enduring questions whose answers are central to the RNA world hypothesis. The abiotic synthesis of sugars was first demonstrated over a century ago, but no known prebiotic reaction produces ribose (an aldose sugar) selectively and in good yield. In contrast, ribulose, and fructose (ketose sugars) and other monosaccharides are formed in high yield by several robust abiotic reactions. It is reported here that ketose sugars - both ketopentoses and ketohexoes - serve as precursors for the formation of ribosides and other aldosides, as demonstrated by glycoside-forming reactions involving barbituric acid, a plausibly prebiotic nucleobase. Moreover, a one-pot reaction of glyceraldehyde and barbituric acid was discovered which under mild conditions, and without special minerals or other catalysts, results in the formation of glycosides. These results reveal that an exclusive or high-yielding generation of free ribose was not required for its incorporation into processes that provided the foundations for life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler P Roche
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - David M Fialho
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Cesar Menor-Salván
- Departmento de Biología de Sistemas/IQAR, Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, 28806, Spain
| | | | - Gary B Schuster
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Nicholas V Hud
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
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10
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A novel approach to the synthesis of substituted ribose and furan derivatives: biological activity of dimethyl 3,4-dihydroxytetrahydrofuran-2,5-dicarboxylate. MONATSHEFTE FUR CHEMIE 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00706-022-02989-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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11
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Some Factors from Theory, Simulation, Experiment and Proteomes in the Current Biosphere Supporting Deep Oceans as the Location of the Origin of Terrestrial Life. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12091330. [PMID: 36143367 PMCID: PMC9503746 DOI: 10.3390/life12091330] [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: 06/25/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Some standard arguments are reviewed supporting deep ocean trenches as a likely location for the origin of terrestrial life. An analysis of proteomes of contemporary prokaryotes carried out by this group is cited as supporting evidence, indicating that the original proteins were formed by quenching from temperatures close to the boiling point of water. Coarse-grained simulations of the network formation process which agree quite well with experiments of such quenches both in drying and rapid fluid emission from a hot to a cold fluid are also described and cited as support for such a scenario. We suggest further experiments, observations and theoretical and simulation work to explore this hypothesis.
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12
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He C, Luo Y, Doddipatla S, Yang Z, Millar TJ, Sun R, Kaiser RI. Gas-phase formation of silicon monoxide via non-adiabatic reaction dynamics and its role as a building block of interstellar silicates. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:19761-19772. [PMID: 35971984 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp02188a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Silicon monoxide (SiO) is classified as a key precursor and fundamental molecular building block to interstellar silicate nanoparticles, which play an essential role in the synthesis of molecular building blocks connected to the Origins of Life. In the cold interstellar medium, silicon monoxide is of critical importance in initiating a series of elementary chemical reactions leading to larger silicon oxides and eventually to silicates. To date, the fundamental formation mechanisms and chemical dynamics leading to gas phase silicon monoxide have remained largely elusive. Here, through a concerted effort between crossed molecular beam experiments and electronic structure calculations, it is revealed that instead of forming highly-stable silicon dioxide (SiO2), silicon monoxide can be formed via a barrierless, exoergic, single-collision event between ground state molecular oxygen and atomic silicon involving non-adiabatic reaction dynamics through various intersystem crossings. Our research affords persuasive evidence for a likely source of highly rovibrationally excited silicon monoxide in cold molecular clouds thus initiating the complex chain of exoergic reactions leading ultimately to a population of silicates at low temperatures in our Galaxy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao He
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
| | - Yuheng Luo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
| | - Srinivas Doddipatla
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
| | - Zhenghai Yang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
| | - Tom J Millar
- School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, University Road, Belfast, BT7 1NN, UK
| | - Rui Sun
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
| | - Ralf I Kaiser
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
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13
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Krishnamurthy R, Goldman AD, Liberles DA, Rogers KL, Tor Y. Nucleobases in Meteorites to Nucleobases in RNA and DNA? J Mol Evol 2022; 90:328-331. [PMID: 35960316 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-022-10069-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Nucleic acids likely played a foundational role in the origin of life. However, the prebiotic chemistry of nucleoside and nucleotide synthesis has proved challenging on a number of fronts. The recent discovery of both pyrimidine and purine nucleobases in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites has garnered much attention from both the popular press and the scientific community. Here, we discuss these findings in the context of nucleoside/nucleotide prebiotic chemistry. We consider that the main challenge of prebiotic nucleoside synthesis, that of nucleosidic bond formation, is not addressed by the identification nucleobases in meteorites. We further discuss issues of selection that arise from the observation that such meteorites contain both canonical and non-canonical nucleobases. In sum, we argue that, despite the major analytical achievement of identifying and characterizing nucleobases in meteorites, this observation does little to advance our understanding of the prebiotic chemistry that could have led to the first genetic molecules that gave rise to us.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA. .,NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Aaron D Goldman
- Department of Biology, Oberlin College and Conservatory, Oberlin, OH, USA.,Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - David A Liberles
- Department of Biology and Center for Computational Genetics and Genomics, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Karyn L Rogers
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Rensselaer Astrobiology Research and Education Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Yitzhak Tor
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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14
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Camprubi E, Harrison SA, Jordan SF, Bonnel J, Pinna S, Lane N. Do Soluble Phosphates Direct the Formose Reaction towards Pentose Sugars? ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:981-991. [PMID: 35833833 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The formose reaction has been a leading hypothesis for the prebiotic synthesis of sugars such as ribose for many decades but tends to produce complex mixtures of sugars and often tars. Channeling the formose reaction towards the synthesis of biologically useful sugars such as ribose has been a holy grail of origins-of-life research. Here, we tested the hypothesis that a simple, prebiotically plausible phosphorylating agent, acetyl phosphate, could direct the formose reaction towards ribose through phosphorylation of intermediates in a manner resembling gluconeogenesis and the pentose phosphate pathway. We did indeed find that addition of acetyl phosphate to a developing formose reaction stabilized pentoses, including ribose, such that after 5 h of reaction about 10-fold more ribose remained compared with control runs. But mechanistic analyses using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry showed that, far from being directed towards ribose by phosphorylation, the formose reaction was halted by the precipitation of Ca2+ ions as phosphate minerals such as apatite and hydroxyapatite. Adding orthophosphate had the same effect. Phosphorylated sugars were only detected below the limit of quantification when adding acetyl phosphate. Nonetheless, our findings are not strictly negative. The sensitivity of the formose reaction to geochemically reasonable conditions, combined with the apparent stability of ribose under these conditions, serves as a valuable constraint on possible pathways of sugar synthesis at the origin of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Camprubi
- Origins Center, Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution (CLOE), Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - S A Harrison
- Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution (CLOE), Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - S F Jordan
- Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution (CLOE), Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - J Bonnel
- Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution (CLOE), Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - S Pinna
- Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution (CLOE), Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - N Lane
- Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution (CLOE), Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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15
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Borate-guided ribose phosphorylation for prebiotic nucleotide synthesis. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11828. [PMID: 35853897 PMCID: PMC9296462 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15753-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Polymers of ribonucleotides (RNAs) are considered to store genetic information and promote biocatalytic reactions for the proto life on chemical evolution. Abiotic synthesis of ribonucleotide was successful in past experiments; nucleoside synthesis occurred first, followed by phosphorylation. These abiotic syntheses are far from biotic reactions and have difficulties as a prebiotic reaction in reacting chemicals in a specific order and purifying intermediates from other molecules in multi-steps of reactions. Another reaction, ribose phosphorylation followed by nucleobase synthesis or nucleobase addition, is close to the biotic reactions of nucleotide synthesis. However, the synthesis of ribose 5′-phosphate under prebiotically plausible conditions remains unclear. Here, we report a high-yield regioselective one-pot synthesis of ribose 5′-phosphate from an aqueous solution containing ribose, phosphate, urea, and borate by simple thermal evaporation. Of note, phosphorylation of ribose before the nucleoside formation differs from the traditional prebiotic nucleotide syntheses and is also consistent with biological nucleotide synthesis. Phosphorylation occurred to the greatest extent in ribose compared to other aldopentoses, only in the presence of borate. Borate is known to improve the stability of ribose preferentially. Geological evidence suggests the presence of borate-rich settings on the early Earth. Therefore, borate-rich evaporitic environments could have facilitated preferential synthesis of ribonucleotide coupled with enhanced stability of ribose on the early Earth.
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16
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Possible Ribose Synthesis in Carbonaceous Planetesimals. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12030404. [PMID: 35330155 PMCID: PMC8955445 DOI: 10.3390/life12030404] [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: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The origin of life might be sparked by the polymerization of the first RNA molecules in Darwinian ponds during wet-dry cycles. The key life-building block ribose was found in carbonaceous chondrites. Its exogenous delivery onto the Hadean Earth could be a crucial step toward the emergence of the RNA world. Here, we investigate the formation of ribose through a simplified version of the formose reaction inside carbonaceous chondrite parent bodies. Following up on our previous studies regarding nucleobases with the same coupled physico-chemical model, we calculate the abundance of ribose within planetesimals of different sizes and heating histories. We perform laboratory experiments using catalysts present in carbonaceous chondrites to infer the yield of ribose among all pentoses (5Cs) forming during the formose reaction. These laboratory yields are used to tune our theoretical model that can only predict the total abundance of 5Cs. We found that the calculated abundances of ribose were similar to the ones measured in carbonaceous chondrites. We discuss the possibilities of chemical decomposition and preservation of ribose and derived constraints on time and location in planetesimals. In conclusion, the aqueous formose reaction might produce most of the ribose in carbonaceous chondrites. Together with our previous studies on nucleobases, we found that life-building blocks of the RNA world could be synthesized inside parent bodies and later delivered onto the early Earth.
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17
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Simensen V, Schulz C, Karlsen E, Bråtelund S, Burgos I, Thorfinnsdottir LB, García-Calvo L, Bruheim P, Almaas E. Experimental determination of Escherichia coli biomass composition for constraint-based metabolic modeling. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0262450. [PMID: 35085271 PMCID: PMC8794083 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) are mathematical representations of metabolism that allow for in silico simulation of metabolic phenotypes and capabilities. A prerequisite for these predictions is an accurate representation of the biomolecular composition of the cell necessary for replication and growth, implemented in GEMs as the so-called biomass objective function (BOF). The BOF contains the metabolic precursors required for synthesis of the cellular macro- and micromolecular constituents (e.g. protein, RNA, DNA), and its composition is highly dependent on the particular organism, strain, and growth condition. Despite its critical role, the BOF is rarely constructed using specific measurements of the modeled organism, drawing the validity of this approach into question. Thus, there is a need to establish robust and reliable protocols for experimental condition-specific biomass determination. Here, we address this challenge by presenting a general pipeline for biomass quantification, evaluating its performance on Escherichia coli K-12 MG1655 sampled during balanced exponential growth under controlled conditions in a batch-fermentor set-up. We significantly improve both the coverage and molecular resolution compared to previously published workflows, quantifying 91.6% of the biomass. Our measurements display great correspondence with previously reported measurements, and we were also able to detect subtle characteristics specific to the particular E. coli strain. Using the modified E. coli GEM iML1515a, we compare the feasible flux ranges of our experimentally determined BOF with the original BOF, finding that the changes in BOF coefficients considerably affect the attainable fluxes at the genome-scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vetle Simensen
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Christian Schulz
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Emil Karlsen
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Signe Bråtelund
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Idun Burgos
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Lilja Brekke Thorfinnsdottir
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Laura García-Calvo
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Per Bruheim
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Eivind Almaas
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology Department of Public Health and General Practice, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- * E-mail:
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18
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Catalytic Prebiotic Formation of Glycerol Phosphate Esters and an Estimation of Their Steady State Abundance under Plausible Early Earth Conditions. Catalysts 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/catal11111384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of biological phosphate esters of glycerol could have been a crucial step in the origin and evolution of life on the early Earth as glycerol phosphates today play a central role in biochemistry. We investigate here the formation of the glycerol phosphates by employing various rock samples, salts, and minerals as potential catalysts to aid the phosphorylation process. We report the synthesis of various phosphate esters of glycerol including glycerol-1-phosphate, glycerol-2-phosphate, cyclic glycerol-monophosphate as well as various diphosphate esters. Furthermore, the decomposition rates of glycerol phosphate under mild heating were also studied while keeping the pH constant. It was observed that glycerol phosphate starts decomposing quickly under mild heating conditions into inorganic orthophosphate and pyrophosphate, and a steady state concentration of ~0.5 M of glycerol phosphate may have been reasonable in ponds with abundant glycerol, phosphate, urea, and catalytic minerals.
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19
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Abstract
B-DNA, the informational molecule for life on earth, appears to contain ratios structured around the irrational number 1.618…, often known as the “golden ratio”. This occurs in the ratio of the length:width of one turn of the helix; the ratio of the spacing of the two helices; and in the axial structure of the molecule which has ten-fold rotational symmetry. That this occurs in the information-carrying molecule for life is unexpected, and suggests the action of some process. What this process might be is unclear, but it is central to any understanding of the formation of DNA, and so life.
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20
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Alhifthi A, Williams SJ. Unimolecular, Bimolecular, and Intramolecular Hydrolysis Mechanisms of 4-Nitrophenyl β-d-Glucopyranoside. J Org Chem 2021; 86:9530-9539. [PMID: 34190567 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.1c00836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
1,2-trans-Glycosides hydrolyze through different mechanisms at different pH values, but systematic studies are lacking. Here, we report the pH-rate constant profile for the hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl β-D-glucoside. An inverse kinetic isotope effect of k(H3O+)/k(D3O+) = 0.65 in the acidic region indicates that the mechanism requires the formation of the conjugate acid of the substrate for the reaction to proceed, with the heterolytic cleavage of the glycosidic C-O bond. Reactions in the pH-independent region exhibit general catalysis with a single proton in flight, a normal solvent isotope effect of kH/kD = 1.5, and when extrapolated to zero buffer concentration show a small solvent isotope effect of k(H2O)/k(D2O) = 1.1, consistent with water attack through a dissociative mechanism. In the basic region, solvolysis in 18O-labeled water and H2O/MeOH mixtures allowed the detection of bimolecular hydrolysis and neighboring group participation, with a minor contribution of nucleophilic aromatic substitution. Under mildly basic conditions, a bimolecular concerted mechanism is implicated through an inverse solvent isotope effect of k(HO-)/k(DO-) = 0.5 and a strongly negative entropy of activation (ΔS‡ = -13.6 cal mol-1 K-1). Finally, at high pH, an inverse solvent isotope effect of k(HO-)/k(DO-) = 0.5 indicates that the formation of 1,2-anhydrosugar is the rate-determining step.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amani Alhifthi
- School of Chemistry and Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia.,Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science (Female section), Jazan University, Jazan 82621, Saudi Arabia
| | - Spencer J Williams
- School of Chemistry and Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia.,Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science (Female section), Jazan University, Jazan 82621, Saudi Arabia
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21
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Dass AV, Georgelin T, Westall F, Foucher F, De Los Rios P, Busiello DM, Liang S, Piazza F. Equilibrium and non-equilibrium furanose selection in the ribose isomerisation network. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2749. [PMID: 33980850 PMCID: PMC8115175 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22818-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The exclusive presence of β-D-ribofuranose in nucleic acids is still a conundrum in prebiotic chemistry, given that pyranose species are substantially more stable at equilibrium. However, a precise characterisation of the relative furanose/pyranose fraction at temperatures higher than about 50 °C is still lacking. Here, we employ a combination of NMR measurements and statistical mechanics modelling to predict a population inversion between furanose and pyranose at equilibrium at high temperatures. More importantly, we show that a steady temperature gradient may steer an open isomerisation network into a non-equilibrium steady state where furanose is boosted beyond the limits set by equilibrium thermodynamics. Moreover, we demonstrate that nonequilibrium selection of furanose is maximum at optimal dissipation, as gauged by the temperature gradient and energy barriers for isomerisation. The predicted optimum is compatible with temperature drops found in hydrothermal vents associated with extremely fresh lava flows on the seafloor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avinash Vicholous Dass
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS-UPR4301, Rue C. Sadron, Orléans, France
- Department of Physics, Ludwig Maximilians University, München, Germany
| | - Thomas Georgelin
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS-UPR4301, Rue C. Sadron, Orléans, France
- Laboratoire de Réactivité de Surface, UMR 7197, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Frances Westall
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS-UPR4301, Rue C. Sadron, Orléans, France
| | - Frédéric Foucher
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS-UPR4301, Rue C. Sadron, Orléans, France
| | - Paolo De Los Rios
- Institute of Physics, School of Basic Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne-EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne-EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Maria Busiello
- Institute of Physics, School of Basic Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne-EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Shiling Liang
- Institute of Physics, School of Basic Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne-EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Piazza
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS-UPR4301, Rue C. Sadron, Orléans, France.
- Université d'Orléans, UFR CoST Sciences et Techniques, Orléans, France.
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22
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Banfalvi G. Prebiotic Pathway from Ribose to RNA Formation. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22083857. [PMID: 33917807 PMCID: PMC8068141 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22083857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
At the focus of abiotic chemical reactions is the synthesis of ribose. No satisfactory explanation was provided as to the missing link between the prebiotic synthesis of ribose and prebiotic RNA (preRNA). Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is assumed to have been the principal precursor in the prebiotic formation of aldopentoses in the formose reaction and in the synthesis of ribose. Ribose as the best fitting aldopentose became the exclusive sugar component of RNA. The elevated yield of ribose synthesis at higher temperatures and its protection from decomposition could have driven the polymerization of the ribose-phosphate backbone and the coupling of nucleobases to the backbone. RNA could have come into being without the involvement of nucleotide precursors. The first nucleoside monophosphate is likely to have appeared upon the hydrolysis of preRNA contributed by the presence of reactive 2′-OH moieties in the preRNA chain. As a result of phosphorylation, nucleoside monophosphates became nucleoside triphosphates, substrates for the selective synthesis of genRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaspar Banfalvi
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Debrecen, 1 Egyetem Square, 4010 Debrecen, Hungary
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23
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Fichtner F, Dissanayake IM, Lacombe B, Barbier F. Sugar and Nitrate Sensing: A Multi-Billion-Year Story. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 26:352-374. [PMID: 33281060 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2020.11.006] [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] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Sugars and nitrate play a major role in providing carbon and nitrogen in plants. Understanding how plants sense these nutrients is crucial, most notably for crop improvement. The mechanisms underlying sugar and nitrate sensing are complex and involve moonlighting proteins such as the nitrate transporter NRT1.1/NFP6.3 or the glycolytic enzyme HXK1. Major components of nutrient signaling, such as SnRK1, TOR, and HXK1, are relatively well conserved across eukaryotes, and the diversification of components such as the NRT1 family and the SWEET sugar transporters correlates with plant terrestrialization. In plants, Tre6P plays a hormone-like role in plant development. In addition, nutrient signaling has evolved to interact with the more recent hormone signaling, allowing fine-tuning of physiological and developmental responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Fichtner
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | | | - Benoit Lacombe
- Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes (BPMP), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation, et l'Environnement (INRAE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Montpellier SupAgro, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Francois Barbier
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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24
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Abstract
The evolution of coenzymes, or their impact on the origin of life, is fundamental for understanding our own existence. Having established reasonable hypotheses about the emergence of prebiotic chemical building blocks, which were probably created under palaeogeochemical conditions, and surmising that these smaller compounds must have become integrated to afford complex macromolecules such as RNA, the question of coenzyme origin and its relation to the evolution of functional biochemistry should gain new impetus. Many coenzymes have a simple chemical structure and are often nucleotide-derived, which suggests that they may have coexisted with the emergence of RNA and may have played a pivotal role in early metabolism. Based on current theories of prebiotic evolution, which attempt to explain the emergence of privileged organic building blocks, this Review discusses plausible hypotheses on the prebiotic formation of key elements within selected extant coenzymes. In combination with prebiotic RNA, coenzymes may have dramatically broadened early protometabolic networks and the catalytic scope of RNA during the evolution of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Kirschning
- Institut für Organische Chemie und Biomolekulares Wirkstoffzentrum (BMWZ)Leibniz Universität HannoverSchneiderberg 1B30167HannoverGermany
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25
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Zhang D, Yang Y, Hu X, Zhen J. Gas phase formation of carbon cluster (fullerenes and graphenes)/prebiotic sugar complexes. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:1424-1436. [PMID: 33393943 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp04366d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Among the constituent molecular classes of proteins and nucleic acids, the presence of Ribose and deoxy-Ribose in space remains unclear. Here, we provide experimental evidence of astronomically related sugar derivatives - carbon cluster (fullerenes and graphenes)/prebiotic sugar complexes - and study their formation processes in the gas phase. The results show that, with PAH cations (dicoronylene, DC, C48H20+)/(2-deoxy-d-Ribose, dR, C5H10O4, and dehydrated 2-deoxy-d-Ribose, DedR, C5H8O3) and fullerene cations (C60+)/(dR and DedR) as the initial molecular precursors, two series of graphene-prebiotic sugar cluster cations (graphene/dR and graphene/DedR, e.g., (dR)Cn+ and (DedR)Cn+) and two series of fullerene-prebiotic sugar cluster cations (fullerene/dR and fullerene/DedR, e.g., (dR)(DedR)2Cn+, (DedR)3Cn+, and (dR)2(DedR)Cn+) are formed through an ion-molecule reaction pathway under the influence of a strong radiation field. The structures of the newly formed complexes and the binding energies of these formation reactions are initially theoretically calculated. These laboratory studies attest to the importance of ion-molecule reaction synthesis routes for the chemical complexity in space, demonstrating that the gas phase interstellar materials could directly lead to the formation of large and complex sugar derivatives in a bottom-up growth process. The chemical evolution in space in which single molecules are transformed into complex molecules produces a wide variety of organic compounds (e.g., carbon cluster (fullerenes and graphenes)/prebiotic sugar complexes). For their astrobiological implications, this opens up aromatic based biogenic chemistry that is available to the parent of PAHs or fullerenes in the interstellar environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deping Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China. and School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Yuanyuan Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China. and School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Xiaoyi Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China. and School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Junfeng Zhen
- CAS Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China. and School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
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26
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Li Y, Shi Y, Song X, Zhao Z, Zhang N, Hao C. Insights into the existing form of glycolaldehyde in methanol solution: an experimental and theoretical investigation. NEW J CHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1039/d1nj00252j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Glycolaldehyde (HOCH2CHO, GA), the simplest molecule containing both hydroxyl and aldehyde groups, is structurally the most elementary member of the monosaccharide sugars, which may provide new clues for probing the origin of life on planets like the Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuehui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals
- School of Chemistry
- Dalian University of Technology
- Dalian 116024
- People's Republic of China
| | - Yantao Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals
- School of Chemistry
- Dalian University of Technology
- Dalian 116024
- People's Republic of China
| | - Xuedan Song
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals
- School of Chemistry
- Dalian University of Technology
- Dalian 116024
- People's Republic of China
| | - Zhengyan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals
- School of Chemistry
- Dalian University of Technology
- Dalian 116024
- People's Republic of China
| | - Naitian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals
- School of Chemistry
- Dalian University of Technology
- Dalian 116024
- People's Republic of China
| | - Ce Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals
- School of Chemistry
- Dalian University of Technology
- Dalian 116024
- People's Republic of China
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27
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Kirschning
- Institut für Organische Chemie und Biomolekulares Wirkstoffzentrum (BMWZ) Leibniz Universität Hannover Schneiderberg 1B 30167 Hannover Deutschland
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28
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Haas M, Lamour S, Christ SB, Trapp O. Mineral-mediated carbohydrate synthesis by mechanical forces in a primordial geochemical setting. Commun Chem 2020; 3:140. [PMID: 36703456 PMCID: PMC9814773 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-020-00387-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The formation of carbohydrates represents an essential step to provide building blocks and a source of chemical energy in several models for the emergence of life. Formaldehyde, glycolaldehyde and a basic catalyst are the initial components forming a variety of sugar molecules in the cascade-type multi-step formose reaction. While numerous side reactions and even deterioration can be observed in aqueous media, selective prebiotic sugar formation is feasible in solid-state, mechanochemical reactions and might have occurred in early geochemistry. However, the precise role of different basic catalysts and the influence of the atmospheric conditions in the solid-state formose reaction remain unknown. Here we show, that in a primordial scenario the mechanochemical formose reaction is capable to form monosaccharides with a broad variety of mineral classes as catalysts with only minute amounts of side products such as lactic acid or methanol, independent of the atmospheric conditions. The results give insight into recent findings of formose sugars on meteorites and offer a water-free and robust pathway for monosaccharides independent of the external conditions both for the early Earth or an extra-terrestrial setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maren Haas
- grid.5252.00000 0004 1936 973XDepartment of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany ,grid.429508.20000 0004 0491 677XMax-Planck-Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Saskia Lamour
- grid.5252.00000 0004 1936 973XDepartment of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Sarah Babette Christ
- grid.5252.00000 0004 1936 973XDepartment of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Oliver Trapp
- grid.5252.00000 0004 1936 973XDepartment of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany ,grid.429508.20000 0004 0491 677XMax-Planck-Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
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29
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Wołos A, Roszak R, Żądło-Dobrowolska A, Beker W, Mikulak-Klucznik B, Spólnik G, Dygas M, Szymkuć S, Grzybowski BA. Synthetic connectivity, emergence, and
self-regeneration in the network of prebiotic
chemistry. Science 2020; 369:369/6511/eaaw1955. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw1955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 03/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The challenge of prebiotic chemistry is to
trace the syntheses of life’s key building blocks
from a handful of primordial substrates. Here we
report a forward-synthesis algorithm that
generates a full network of prebiotic chemical
reactions accessible from these substrates under
generally accepted conditions. This network
contains both reported and previously unidentified
routes to biotic targets, as well as plausible
syntheses of abiotic molecules. It also exhibits
three forms of nontrivial chemical emergence, as
the molecules within the network can act as
catalysts of downstream reaction types; form
functional chemical systems, including
self-regenerating cycles; and produce surfactants
relevant to primitive forms of biological
compartmentalization. To support these claims,
computer-predicted, prebiotic syntheses of several
biotic molecules as well as a multistep,
self-regenerative cycle of iminodiacetic acid were
validated by experiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Wołos
- Institute of Organic Chemistry,
Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw,
Poland
- Allchemy, Inc., Highland, IN,
USA
| | - Rafał Roszak
- Institute of Organic Chemistry,
Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw,
Poland
- Allchemy, Inc., Highland, IN,
USA
| | | | - Wiktor Beker
- Institute of Organic Chemistry,
Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw,
Poland
- Allchemy, Inc., Highland, IN,
USA
| | - Barbara Mikulak-Klucznik
- Institute of Organic Chemistry,
Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw,
Poland
- Allchemy, Inc., Highland, IN,
USA
| | - Grzegorz Spólnik
- Institute of Organic Chemistry,
Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw,
Poland
| | - Mirosław Dygas
- Institute of Organic Chemistry,
Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw,
Poland
| | - Sara Szymkuć
- Institute of Organic Chemistry,
Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw,
Poland
- Allchemy, Inc., Highland, IN,
USA
| | - Bartosz A. Grzybowski
- Institute of Organic Chemistry,
Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw,
Poland
- Allchemy, Inc., Highland, IN,
USA
- Center for Soft and Living Matter of
Korea’s Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Ulsan,
South Korea
- Department of Chemistry, Ulsan
National Institute of Science and Technology,
Ulsan, South Korea
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30
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Jiménez-Serra I, Martín-Pintado J, Rivilla VM, Rodríguez-Almeida L, Alonso Alonso ER, Zeng S, Cocinero EJ, Martín S, Requena-Torres M, Martín-Domenech R, Testi L. Toward the RNA-World in the Interstellar Medium-Detection of Urea and Search of 2-Amino-oxazole and Simple Sugars. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:1048-1066. [PMID: 32283036 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In the past decade, astrochemistry has witnessed an impressive increase in the number of detections of complex organic molecules. Some of these species are of prebiotic interest such as glycolaldehyde, the simplest sugar, or aminoacetonitrile, a possible precursor of glycine. Recently, we have reported the detection of two new nitrogen-bearing complex organics, glycolonitrile and Z-cyanomethanimine, known to be intermediate species in the formation process of ribonucleotides within theories of a primordial RNA-world for the origin of life. In this study, we present deep and high-sensitivity observations toward two of the most chemically rich sources in the galaxy: a giant molecular cloud in the center of the Milky Way (G + 0.693-0.027) and a proto-Sun (IRAS16293-2422 B). Our aim is to explore whether the key precursors considered to drive the primordial RNA-world chemistry are also found in space. Our high-sensitivity observations reveal that urea is present in G + 0.693-0.027 with an abundance of ∼5 × 10-11. This is the first detection of this prebiotic species outside a star-forming region. Urea remains undetected toward the proto-Sun IRAS16293-2422 B (upper limit to its abundance of ≤2 × 10-11). Other precursors of the RNA-world chemical scheme such as glycolaldehyde or cyanamide are abundant in space, but key prebiotic species such as 2-amino-oxazole, glyceraldehyde, or dihydroxyacetone are not detected in either source. Future more sensitive observations targeting the brightest transitions of these species will be needed to disentangle whether these large prebiotic organics are certainly present in space.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Elena R Alonso Alonso
- Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco, (UPV-EHU), Bilbao, Spain
- Biofisika Institute (CSIC, UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain
| | - Shaoshan Zeng
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Emilio J Cocinero
- Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco, (UPV-EHU), Bilbao, Spain
- Biofisika Institute (CSIC, UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain
| | - Sergio Martín
- European Southern Observatory, Vitacura, Chile
- Joint ALMA Observatory, Vitacura, Chile
| | | | | | - Leonardo Testi
- INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Florence, Italy
- European Southern Observatory, Garching bei München, Germany
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31
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The Messy Alkaline Formose Reaction and Its Link to Metabolism. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10080125. [PMID: 32731352 PMCID: PMC7460143 DOI: 10.3390/life10080125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sugars are essential for the formation of genetic elements such as RNA and as an energy/food source. Thus, the formose reaction, which autocatalytically generates a multitude of sugars from formaldehyde, has been viewed as a potentially important prebiotic source of biomolecules at the origins of life. When analyzing our formose solutions we find that many of the chemical species are simple carboxylic acids, including α-hydroxy acids, associated with metabolism. In this work we posit that the study of the formose reaction, under alkaline conditions and moderate hydrothermal temperatures, should not be solely focused on sugars for genetic materials, but should focus on the origins of metabolism (via metabolic molecules) as well.
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32
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Gull M, Omran A, Feng T, Pasek MA. Silicate-, Magnesium Ion-, and Urea-Induced Prebiotic Phosphorylation of Uridine via Pyrophosphate; Revisiting the Hot Drying Water Pool Scenario. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10080122. [PMID: 32722517 PMCID: PMC7459484 DOI: 10.3390/life10080122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The availability of nucleotides on the early Earth is of great significance for the origin of a self-replicating system capable of undergoing evolution. We hereby report the successful phosphorylation reactions of the nucleoside uridine under heating in the "drying pool" prebiotic model at temperatures ranging from 60-75 °C, and by using pyrophosphate as a phosphorylation agent. Uridine monophosphates (UMP) such as uridine-5'-monophosphate (5'-UMP), 2'-UMP, and 3'-UMP, as well as cyclic 2'-3'-UMP, were identified by 31P-NMR. In addition to the above-mentioned products, a dimer of uridine-phosphate-uridine (U-P-U) was also observed. The reactions were promoted by white quartz sand, Mg2+, and by using urea as a condensation agent. The reactions also proceeded without this mixture; however, the yields increased remarkably with the presence of the above-mentioned materials. The results suggest that a hot/evaporating-drying pool of water containing organics, salts, and reactive phosphorus could be sufficient to form significant phosphate esters.
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33
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The furanosidic scaffold of d-ribose: a milestone for cell life. Biochem Soc Trans 2020; 47:1931-1940. [PMID: 31697320 DOI: 10.1042/bst20190749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The recruitment of the furanosidic scaffold of ribose as the crucial step for nucleotides and then for nucleic acids synthesis is presented. Based on the view that the selection of molecules to be used for relevant metabolic purposes must favor structurally well-defined molecules, the inadequacy of ribose as a preferential precursor for nucleotides synthesis is discussed. The low reliability of ribose in its furanosidic hemiacetal form must have played ab initio against the choice of d-ribose for the generation of d-ribose-5-phosphate, the fundamental precursor of the ribose moiety of nucleotides. The latter, which is instead generated through the 'pentose phosphate pathway' is strictly linked to the affordable and reliable pyranosidic structure of d-glucose.
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34
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Sadek KU, Mekheimer RA, Abd‐Elmonem M, Elnagdi MH. Recent developments in the utility of Zn( L‐proline) 2as benign and recyclable metallo‐organocatalyst in organic synthesis. Appl Organomet Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/aoc.5315] [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)
- Kamal Usef Sadek
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of ScienceMinia University Minia 61519 Egypt
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35
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Abstract
The chemistry of abiotic nucleotide synthesis of RNA and DNA in the context of their prebiotic origins on early earth is a continuing challenge. How did (or how can) the nucleotides form and assemble from the small molecule inventories and under conditions that prevailed on early earth 3.5-4 billion years ago? This review provides a background and up-to-date progress that will allow the reader to judge where the field stands currently and what remains to be achieved. We start with a brief primer on the biological synthesis of nucleotides, followed by an extensive focus on the prebiotic formation of the components of nucleotides-either via the synthesis of ribose and the canonical nucleobases and then joining them together or by building both the conjoined sugar and nucleobase, part-by-part-toward the ultimate goal of forming RNA and DNA by polymerization. The review will emphasize that there are-and will continue to be-many more questions than answers from the synthetic, mechanistic, and analytical perspectives. We wrap up the review with a cautionary note in this context about coming to conclusions as to whether the problem of chemistry of prebiotic nucleotide synthesis has been solved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahipal Yadav
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States.,NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Ravi Kumar
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States.,NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States.,NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
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36
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Furukawa Y, Chikaraishi Y, Ohkouchi N, Ogawa NO, Glavin DP, Dworkin JP, Abe C, Nakamura T. Extraterrestrial ribose and other sugars in primitive meteorites. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:24440-24445. [PMID: 31740594 PMCID: PMC6900709 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1907169116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Sugars are essential molecules for all terrestrial biota working in many biological processes. Ribose is particularly essential as a building block of RNA, which could have both stored information and catalyzed reactions in primitive life on Earth. Meteorites contain a number of organic compounds including key building blocks of life, i.e., amino acids, nucleobases, and phosphate. An amino acid has also been identified in a cometary sample. However, the presence of extraterrestrial bioimportant sugars remains unclear. We analyzed sugars in 3 carbonaceous chondrites and show evidence of extraterrestrial ribose and other bioessential sugars in primitive meteorites. The 13C-enriched stable carbon isotope compositions (δ13C vs.VPDB) of the detected sugars show that the sugars are of extraterrestrial origin. We also conducted a laboratory simulation experiment of a potential sugar formation reaction in space. The compositions of pentoses in meteorites and the composition of the products of the laboratory simulation suggest that meteoritic sugars were formed by formose-like processes. The mineral compositions of these meteorites further suggest the formation of these sugars both before and after the accretion of their parent asteroids. Meteorites were carriers of prebiotic organic molecules to the early Earth; thus, the detection of extraterrestrial sugars in meteorites establishes the existence of natural geological routes to make and preserve them as well as raising the possibility that extraterrestrial sugars contributed to forming functional biopolymers like RNA on the early Earth or other primitive worlds.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yoshito Chikaraishi
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, 060-0819 Sapporo, Japan
- Biogeochemistry Program, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 237-0061 Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Naohiko Ohkouchi
- Biogeochemistry Program, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 237-0061 Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Nanako O Ogawa
- Biogeochemistry Program, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 237-0061 Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Daniel P Glavin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771
| | - Jason P Dworkin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771
| | - Chiaki Abe
- Department of Earth Science, Tohoku University, 980-8578 Sendai, Japan
| | - Tomoki Nakamura
- Department of Earth Science, Tohoku University, 980-8578 Sendai, Japan
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37
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Glavin DP, Burton AS, Elsila JE, Aponte JC, Dworkin JP. The Search for Chiral Asymmetry as a Potential Biosignature in our Solar System. Chem Rev 2019; 120:4660-4689. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P. Glavin
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - Aaron S. Burton
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 77058, United States
| | - Jamie E. Elsila
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - José C. Aponte
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
- Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. 20064, United States
| | - Jason P. Dworkin
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
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38
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Burcar B, Castañeda A, Lago J, Daniel M, Pasek MA, Hud NV, Orlando TM, Menor‐Salván C. A Stark Contrast to Modern Earth: Phosphate Mineral Transformation and Nucleoside Phosphorylation in an Iron‐ and Cyanide‐Rich Early Earth Scenario. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201908272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bradley Burcar
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA 33000 USA
- NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA 33000 USA
| | - Alma Castañeda
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA 33000 USA
- NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA 33000 USA
| | - Jennifer Lago
- School of Geosciences University of South Florida, Tampa Tampa FL 33620 USA
- NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA 33000 USA
| | - Mischael Daniel
- NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA 33000 USA
| | - Matthew A. Pasek
- School of Geosciences University of South Florida, Tampa Tampa FL 33620 USA
- NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA 33000 USA
| | - Nicholas V. Hud
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA 33000 USA
- NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA 33000 USA
| | - Thomas M. Orlando
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA 33000 USA
- NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA 33000 USA
| | - César Menor‐Salván
- NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta GA 33000 USA
- Dep. de Biología de Sistemas-Instituto de Investigación Química Andrés del Río (IQAR) Universidad de Alcalá 28805 Alcalá de Henares Spain
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39
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Burcar B, Castañeda A, Lago J, Daniel M, Pasek MA, Hud NV, Orlando TM, Menor-Salván C. A Stark Contrast to Modern Earth: Phosphate Mineral Transformation and Nucleoside Phosphorylation in an Iron- and Cyanide-Rich Early Earth Scenario. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019; 58:16981-16987. [PMID: 31460687 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201908272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Revised: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Organophosphates were likely an important class of prebiotic molecules. However, their presence on the early Earth is strongly debated because the low availability of phosphate, which is generally assumed to have been sequestered in insoluble calcium and iron minerals, is widely viewed as a major barrier to organophosphate generation. Herein, we demonstrate that cyanide (an essential prebiotic precursor) and urea-based solvents could promote nucleoside phosphorylation by transforming insoluble phosphate minerals in a "warm little pond" scenario into more soluble and reactive species. Our results suggest that cyanide and its derivatives (metal cyanide complexes, urea, ammonium formate, and formamide) were key reagents for the participation of phosphorus in chemical evolution. These results allow us to propose a holistic scenario in which an evaporitic environment could concentrate abiotically formed organics and transform the underlying minerals, allowing significant organic phosphorylation under plausible prebiotic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley Burcar
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 33000, USA.,NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 33000, USA
| | - Alma Castañeda
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 33000, USA.,NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 33000, USA
| | - Jennifer Lago
- School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA.,NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 33000, USA
| | - Mischael Daniel
- NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 33000, USA
| | - Matthew A Pasek
- School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA.,NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 33000, USA
| | - Nicholas V Hud
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 33000, USA.,NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 33000, USA
| | - Thomas M Orlando
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 33000, USA.,NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 33000, USA
| | - César Menor-Salván
- NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 33000, USA.,Dep. de Biología de Sistemas-Instituto de Investigación Química Andrés del Río (IQAR), Universidad de Alcalá, 28805, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
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40
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer S. Teichert
- Department of ChemistryLudwig-Maximilians-University Munich Butenandtstr. 5–13 81377 Munich Germany
- Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy Königstuhl 17 69117 Heidelberg Germany
| | - Florian M. Kruse
- Department of ChemistryLudwig-Maximilians-University Munich Butenandtstr. 5–13 81377 Munich Germany
| | - Oliver Trapp
- Department of ChemistryLudwig-Maximilians-University Munich Butenandtstr. 5–13 81377 Munich Germany
- Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy Königstuhl 17 69117 Heidelberg Germany
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41
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Teichert JS, Kruse FM, Trapp O. Direct Prebiotic Pathway to DNA Nucleosides. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019; 58:9944-9947. [PMID: 31131499 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201903400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
It is assumed that RNA played a key role in the origin of life, and the transition to more complex but more stable DNA for continuous information storage and replication requires the development of a ribonucleotide reductase to obtain the deoxyribonucleotides from ribonucleotides. This step, as well as an alternative path from abiotic molecules to DNA-based life is completely unknown. Shown here is the formation of deoxyribonucleosides under relevant prebiotic conditions in water in high regio- and stereoselectivity, from all canonical purine and pyrimidine bases, by condensation with acetaldehyde and sugar-forming precursors. Thus, a continuous path to deoxyribonucleosides, starting from simple, prebiotically available molecules has been discovered. Furthermore, the deoxyapionucleosides (DApiNA) were identified as a potential DNA progenitor. The results suggest that the DNA world evolved much earlier than previously assumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer S Teichert
- Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377, Munich, Germany.,Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Florian M Kruse
- Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377, Munich, Germany
| | - Oliver Trapp
- Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377, Munich, Germany.,Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
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42
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Biscans A. Exploring the Emergence of RNA Nucleosides and Nucleotides on the Early Earth. Life (Basel) 2018; 8:life8040057. [PMID: 30404133 PMCID: PMC6316623 DOI: 10.3390/life8040057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding how life began is one of the most fascinating problems to solve. By approaching this enigma from a chemistry perspective, the goal is to define what series of chemical reactions could lead to the synthesis of nucleotides, amino acids, lipids, and other cellular components from simple feedstocks under prebiotically plausible conditions. It is well established that evolution of life involved RNA which plays central roles in both inheritance and catalysis. In this review, we present historically important and recently published articles aimed at understanding the emergence of RNA nucleosides and nucleotides on the early Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annabelle Biscans
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, 01605 MA, USA.
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43
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Kawamura K, Konagaya N, Maruoka Y. Enhancement and Inhibitory Activities of Minerals for Alanine Oligopeptide Elongation Under Hydrothermal Conditions. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:1403-1413. [PMID: 30160529 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In a previous study, we have showed that the elongation of an alanine oligopeptide [L-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-alanine ((Ala)4)] to higher oligopeptides is enhanced by calcite and dolomite at 275°C, using a mineral-mediated hydrothermal flow reactor system. However, a problem during the use of hydrothermal flow reactor system was that some of the minerals, such as clay, could not be tested due to their clogging in the reactor. In this article, we attempted to analyze the scope of enhancement for the formation of L-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-alanine ((Ala)5) and higher oligopeptides with different minerals including clay minerals for the elongation of alanine oligopeptide at 175°C. First, carbonate minerals and some clay minerals showed an enhancement of the formation of (Ala)5 from (Ala)4. On the contrary, volcanic products showed strong inhibitory activities. According to the pH dependence on the (Ala)4 elongations, we confirmed that most enhancement and inhibitory activities are due to the pH influence on the elongation of (Ala)4. However, the enhancement of montmorillonite (Tsukinuno), sphalerite, apatite, tourmaline, calcite (Nitto Funka), and the inhibitory activities by volcanic ash (Shinmoedake), volcanic ash (Sakurajima), dickite, and pyrophillite are not simply due to the pH change in the presence of these minerals. The difference found between the previous and present studies suggests that the interaction kinetics of the aqueous phase with the mineral phase is also an important factor for the elongation of (Ala)4. These data imply that the environments with pH near neutral to weak alkaline and with minerals might have been useful for the accumulation of oligopeptides in hydrothermal conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunio Kawamura
- 1 Department of Human Environmental Studies, Hiroshima Shudo University , Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Noriko Konagaya
- 2 Department of Nutritional Sciences, Yasuda Women's University , Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Yoshimi Maruoka
- 1 Department of Human Environmental Studies, Hiroshima Shudo University , Hiroshima, Japan
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44
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Gas-phase sugar formation using hydroxymethylene as the reactive formaldehyde isomer. Nat Chem 2018; 10:1141-1147. [DOI: 10.1038/s41557-018-0128-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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45
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Abstract
The general notion of an "RNA world" is that, in the early development of life on the Earth, genetic continuity was assured by the replication of RNA, and RNA molecules were the chief agents of catalytic function. Assuming that all of the components of RNA were available in some prebiotic locale, these components could have assembled into activated nucleotides that condensed to form RNA polymers, setting the stage for the chemical replication of polynucleotides through RNA-templated RNA polymerization. If a sufficient diversity of RNAs could be copied with reasonable rate and fidelity, then Darwinian evolution would begin with RNAs that facilitated their own reproduction enjoying a selective advantage. The concept of a "protocell" refers to a compartment where replication of the primitive genetic material took place and where primitive catalysts gave rise to products that accumulated locally for the benefit of the replicating cellular entity. Replication of both the protocell and its encapsulated genetic material would have enabled natural selection to operate based on the differential fitness of competing cellular entities, ultimately giving rise to modern cellular life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald F Joyce
- The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Jack W Szostak
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114
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46
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Exploration of RNA Sequence Space in the Absence of a Replicase. J Mol Evol 2018; 86:264-276. [PMID: 29748740 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-018-9846-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
It is generally considered that if an RNA World ever existed that it would be driven by an RNA capable of RNA replication. Whether such a catalytic RNA could emerge in an RNA World or not, there would need to be prior routes to increasing complexity in order to produce it. It is hypothesized here that increasing sequence variety, if not complexity, can in fact readily emerge in response to a dynamic equilibrium between synthesis and degradation. A model system in which T4 RNA ligase catalyzes synthesis and Benzonase catalyzes degradation was constructed. An initial 20-mer served as a seed and was subjected to 180 min of simultaneous ligation and degradation. The seed RNA rapidly disappeared and was replaced by an increasing number and variety of both larger and smaller variants. Variants of 40-80 residues were consistently seen, typically representing 2-4% of the unique sequences. In a second experiment with four individual 9-mers, numerous variants were again produced. These included variants of the individual 9-mers as well as sequences that contained sequence segments from two or more 9-mers. In both cases, the RNA products lack large numbers of point mutations but instead incorporate additions and subtractions of fragments of the original RNAs. The system demonstrates that if such equilibrium were established in a prebiotic world it would result in significant exploration of RNA sequence space and likely increased complexity. It remains to be seen if the variety of products produced is affected by the presence of small peptide oligomers.
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47
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Fialho DM, Clarke KC, Moore MK, Schuster GB, Krishnamurthy R, Hud NV. Glycosylation of a model proto-RNA nucleobase with non-ribose sugars: implications for the prebiotic synthesis of nucleosides. Org Biomol Chem 2018; 16:1263-1271. [DOI: 10.1039/c7ob03017g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of the earliest nucleosides is an important, but unresolved, element of the origins of life that may have been facilitated by heterocycle reactivity and self-assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M. Fialho
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Atlanta
- USA 30033
- NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution
| | - Kimberly C. Clarke
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Atlanta
- USA 30033
- NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution
| | - Megan K. Moore
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Atlanta
- USA 30033
- NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution
| | - Gary B. Schuster
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Atlanta
- USA 30033
- NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution
| | | | - Nicholas V. Hud
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Atlanta
- USA 30033
- NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution
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48
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Rivas M, Becerra A, Lazcano A. On the Early Evolution of Catabolic Pathways: A Comparative Genomics Approach. I. The Cases of Glucose, Ribose, and the Nucleobases Catabolic Routes. J Mol Evol 2017; 86:27-46. [PMID: 29189888 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-017-9822-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2017] [Accepted: 11/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Compared with the large corpus of published work devoted to the study of the origin and early development of anabolism, little attention has been given to the discussion of the early evolution of catabolism in spite of its significance. In the present study, we have used comparative genomics to explore the evolution and phylogenetic distribution of the enzymes that catalyze the extant catabolic pathways of the monosaccharides glucose and ribose, as well as those of the nucleobases adenine, guanine, cytosine, uracil, and thymine. Based on the oxygen dependence of the enzymes, their conservation, and evolution, we speculate on the relative antiquity of the pathways. Our results allow us to suggest which catabolic pathways and enzymes may have already been present in the last common ancestor. We conclude that the enzymatic degradations of ribose, as well as those of purines adenine and guanine, are among the most ancient catabolic pathways which can be traced by protein-based methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Rivas
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo. Postal 70-407, Cd. Universitaria, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Arturo Becerra
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo. Postal 70-407, Cd. Universitaria, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Antonio Lazcano
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo. Postal 70-407, Cd. Universitaria, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico. .,Miembro de El Colegio Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico.
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Kawamura K. Hydrothermal Microflow Technology as a Research Tool for Origin-of-Life Studies in Extreme Earth Environments. Life (Basel) 2017; 7:E37. [PMID: 28974048 PMCID: PMC5745550 DOI: 10.3390/life7040037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Revised: 09/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Although studies about the origin of life are a frontier in science and a number of effective approaches have been developed, drawbacks still exist. Examples include: (1) simulation of chemical evolution experiments (which were demonstrated for the first time by Stanley Miller); (2) approaches tracing back the most primitive life-like systems (on the basis of investigations of present organisms); and (3) constructive approaches for making life-like systems (on the basis of molecular biology), such as in vitro construction of the RNA world. Naturally, simulation experiments of chemical evolution under plausible ancient Earth environments have been recognized as a potentially fruitful approach. Nevertheless, simulation experiments seem not to be sufficient for identifying the scenario from molecules to life. This is because primitive Earth environments are still not clearly defined and a number of possibilities should be taken into account. In addition, such environments frequently comprise extreme conditions when compared to the environments of present organisms. Therefore, we need to realize the importance of accurate and convenient experimental approaches that use practical research tools, which are resistant to high temperature and pressure, to facilitate chemical evolution studies. This review summarizes improvements made in such experimental approaches over the last two decades, focusing primarily on our hydrothermal microflow reactor technology. Microflow reactor systems are a powerful tool for performing simulation experiments in diverse simulated hydrothermal Earth conditions in order to measure the kinetics of formation and degradation and the interactions of biopolymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunio Kawamura
- Department of Human Environmental Studies, Hiroshima Shudo University, Ozuka-higashi, Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima 731-3195, Japan.
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Kawamura K, Maurel MC. Walking over 4 Gya: Chemical Evolution from Photochemistry to Mineral and Organic Chemistries Leading to an RNA World. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2017; 47:281-296. [PMID: 28432500 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-017-9537-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Here we overview the chemical evolution of RNA molecules from inorganic material through mineral-mediated RNA formation compatible with the plausible early Earth environments. Pathways from the gas-phase reaction to the formation of nucleotides, activation and oligomerization of nucleotides, seem to be compatible with specific environments. However, how these steps interacted is not clear since the chemical conditions are frequently different and can be incompatible between them; thus the products would have migrated from one place to another, suitable for further chemical evolution. In this review, we summarize certain points to scrutinize the RNA World hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunio Kawamura
- Department of Human Environmental Studies, Hiroshima Shudo University, 1-1-1 Ozuka-higashi, Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima, 731-3195, Japan.
| | - Marie-Christine Maurel
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205 CNRS MNHN UPMC EPHE, Sorbonne Universités, 50, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005, Paris, CP, France
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