Intrinsic disorder, extraterrestrial peptides, and prebiotic life on the earth

Kulkarni, Prakash; Salgia, Ravi; Uversky, Vladimir N.

doi:10.1080/07391102.2022.2088619

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…This would likely happen by a random process leading to the formation of disordered and nonnatural peptides. However, exactly such peptides can be very interesting for the origin of life ( 41 ). There are also many efficient catalysts, including peptides themselves that can assist in the formation of peptide bonds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formation of extraterrestrial peptides and their derivatives

Krasnokutski,

Jäger,

Henning

et al. 2024

Sci. Adv.

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The formation of protein precursors, due to the condensation of atomic carbon under the low-temperature conditions of the molecular phases of the interstellar medium, opens alternative pathways for the origin of life. We perform peptide synthesis under conditions prevailing in space and provide a comprehensive analytic characterization of its products. The application of 13 C allowed us to confirm the suggested pathway of peptide formation that proceeds due to the polymerization of aminoketene molecules that are formed in the C + CO + NH 3 reaction. Here, we address the question of how the efficiency of peptide production is modified by the presence of water molecules. We demonstrate that although water slightly reduces the efficiency of polymerization of aminoketene, it does not prevent the formation of peptides.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formation of extraterrestrial peptides and their derivatives

Krasnokutski,

Jäger,

Henning

et al. 2024

Sci. Adv.

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“…The Nobel laureate Christian De Duve hypothesized that the chemical seeds of life are universal [ 108 ]. According to Vladimir Uversky’s group, the recent discovery of mechanisms for the synthesis of simple oligopeptides under conditions relevant to the astrophysical environment raises hopes in the search for extraterrestrial life [ 109 ]. If these assumptions are correct, then it is possible that life could emerge elsewhere in the universe and not only on Earth.…”

Section: The Fundamental Roots Of Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

What Is life? Rethinking Biology in Light of Fundamental Parameters

Fantini,

Matveeva,

Lefebvre

et al. 2024

Life

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Defining life is an arduous task that has puzzled philosophers and scientists for centuries. Yet biology suffers from a lack of clear definition, putting biologists in a paradoxical situation where one can describe at the atomic level complex objects that remain globally poorly defined. One could assume that such descriptions make it possible to perfectly characterize living systems. However, many cases of misinterpretation put this assumption into perspective. In this article, we focus on critical parameters such as time, water, entropy, space, quantum properties, and electrostatic potential to redefine the nature of living matter, with special emphasis on biological coding. Where does the DNA double helix come from, why cannot the reproduction of living organisms occur without mutations, what are the limitations of the genetic code, and why do not all proteins have a stable three-dimensional structure? There are so many questions that cannot be resolved without considering the aforementioned parameters. Indeed, (i) time and space constrain many biological mechanisms and impose drastic solutions on living beings (enzymes, transporters); (ii) water controls the fidelity of DNA replication and the structure/disorder balance of proteins; (iii) entropy is the driving force of many enzymatic reactions and molecular interactions; (iv) quantum mechanisms explain why a molecule as simple as hydrocyanic acid (HCN) foreshadows the helical structure of DNA, how DNA is stabilized, why mutations occur, and how the Earth magnetic field can influence the migration of birds; (v) electrostatic potential controls epigenetic mechanisms, lipid raft functions, and virus infections. We consider that raising awareness of these basic parameters is critical for better understanding what life is, and how it handles order and chaos through a combination of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. Thus, we propose to incorporate these parameters into the definition of life.

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Biological soft matter: intrinsically disordered proteins in liquid–liquid phase separation and biomolecular condensates

Fonin

Antifeeva

Kuznetsova

et al. 2022

Essays in Biochemistry

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The facts that many proteins with crucial biological functions do not have unique structures and that many biological processes are compartmentalized into the liquid-like biomolecular condensates, which are formed via liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) and are not surrounded by the membrane, are revolutionizing the modern biology. These phenomena are interlinked, as the presence of intrinsic disorder represents an important requirement for a protein to undergo LLPS that drives biogenesis of numerous membrane-less organelles (MLOs). Therefore, one can consider these phenomena as crucial constituents of a new IDP–LLPS–MLO field. Furthermore, intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), LLPS, and MLOs represent a clear link between molecular and cellular biology and soft matter and condensed soft matter physics. Both IDP and LLPS/MLO fields are undergoing explosive development and generate the ever-increasing mountain of crucial data. These new data provide answers to so many long-standing questions that it is difficult to imagine that in the very recent past, protein scientists and cellular biologists operated without taking these revolutionary concepts into account. The goal of this essay is not to deliver a comprehensive review of the IDP–LLPS–MLO field but to provide a brief and rather subjective outline of some of the recent developments in these exciting fields.

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Intrinsic disorder, extraterrestrial peptides, and prebiotic life on the earth

Cited by 5 publications

References 46 publications

Formation of extraterrestrial peptides and their derivatives

Formation of extraterrestrial peptides and their derivatives

What Is life? Rethinking Biology in Light of Fundamental Parameters

Biological soft matter: intrinsically disordered proteins in liquid–liquid phase separation and biomolecular condensates

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