Physicochemical Processes That Probably Originated Life

Kovalenko, Sergei

doi:10.1134/s1068162020040093

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…If one of the polar amino acids was included in the composition, its residue played the role of a "head," the rest of the chain was a nonpolar "tail." These lipid-like peptides, as indicated in the previous review [10], served as a rather strong backbone of the protocell membranes. Their complexes with fatty acids had great advantages over purely fatty acid membranes.…”

Section: A a A Amentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Apparently, the authors were not interested in amino acids not contained in proteins. Therefore, they did not pay attention to the fact that substance 38 obtained in their experiments, as a result of the Strecker reaction, is converted into 2,4-diaminobutyric acid [10]. Meanwhile, it could play an important role under abiotic conditions, being a part of positively charged peptides and, possibly, replacing canonical amino acids [3].…”

Section: Transition From Noncoded To Codedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previously, abiogenically synthesized peptides were rather uniform in amino acid composition. There were few polar amino acids to provide a sufficient amount of material for the synthesis of lipid-like peptides that form strong membranes (see our previous review [10] for exploration of their role). Enrichment of individual ensembles with rare amino acids has dramatically changed the situation for the better.…”

Section: Operational Code As An Intermediate Stagementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In our previous review [10], we described a network of physicochemical processes leading to the emergence of protocells, which were only a passive receptacle of genetic material (RNA). It evolved actively but had almost no effect on the synthesis of membrane components.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the Origin of Genetically Coded Protein Synthesis

Kovalenko¹

2021

Russ J Bioorg Chem

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How proteins with a specific amino acid sequence are synthesized in living organisms is no longer a mystery after the deciphering of the genetic code six decades ago. However, the origin of the system of genetically coded protein synthesis is still the subject of hypotheses that are only partially experimentally justified. Based on the review of works mainly of the last decade, the author formulated a hypothesis that largely concretizes certain stages of the formation of the translation system and the genetic code. The hypothesis is based on the concept of evolutionary reduction of the ambiguity of the primordial code. The distinctive positions of the hypothesis are as follows: (i) the emergence of aptamers, enriching the protocell by the rare catalytically active amino acids, and their evolutionary transformation into aaRS-like ribozymes which resulted in the operational code, (ii) simultaneous participation of a large number of amino acids (including noncanonical) in the formation of operational and genetic codes, (iii) the recognition of the whole codon of mRNA by the anticodon loop of proto-tRNA from the very beginning of coded protein synthesis, (iv) the coevolution of the operational and genetic codes that eliminated their initial ambiguity.

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Section: A a A Amentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Transition From Noncoded To Codedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Operational Code As An Intermediate Stagementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the Origin of Genetically Coded Protein Synthesis

Kovalenko¹

2021

Russ J Bioorg Chem

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“…We hypothesize that intense radiation and water scarcity could impair photosynthetic activity while potentiating the utilization of chemical energy [26,27] , stress tolerance [22,28] , antioxidant C1 metabolism [29] , acetaldehyde shunt [30] , and photorespiration [31] . Dominant genera like Microcoleus, which are not drought-tolerant, would show decreased activity or a mixotrophic state due to the utilization of extracellular organic matter [32,33] , but highly UV-resistant genera like Scytonema, Nostoc, and Chroococcidiopsis may have a competitive advantage [34] .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Synergistic response of extremophiles in cyanobacterial crusts against in-situ exposure to multiple stratospheric stresses

Zhang,

Li,

Yang

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background The stratosphere, with its harsh conditions similar to the Martian surface, provides a unique and relatively accessible environment for studying the adaptation of extremophiles in anticipation of extraterrestrial colonization applications. However, we are just beginning to understand the synergistic response of microbial communities under this Mars-like near space. Using cyanobacterial crusts from deserts, as a multitrophic model system, we loaded it on a balloon-borne astrobiology platform for direct exposure to multiple stratospheric stresses such as high radiation and extreme temperature fluctuations. We then performed multi-omics analyses to delineate the underlying composition alterations and metabolic response at the community level. Results After short-term in-situ exposure, a significant shift in the community composition of active members was observed that the relative abundance of photoautotrophs declined while chemotrophic abundance increased. We tracked the changes in metabolic processes against the stratospheric ambiance and found that life history strategies associated with resource acquisition, growth potential, and stress tolerance were regulated distinctively in different microbial categories. For instance, α-proteobacteria and chloroflexi tended to enhance the strategies related to the ability of stress tolerance, while actinobacteria assigned more resources to reinforce their growth potential. Cyanobacteria contributed to the promotion of different strategies, indicating their significant adaptability differentiation. Moreover, we demonstrated the unique thriving of Scytonema, a diazotrophic genus of cyanobacteria, attributed to its synthesis of anti-ultraviolet scytonemin, diverse material, and energy acquisition. These synergistic responses further induced interspecies mutualistic nutrient interactions, thus promoting the retention of organic carbon and nitrogen within the community, finally maintaining the stability of biocrusts in extreme environments of the stratosphere. Conclusions Our study underscores the adaptive resilience of cyanobacterial crusts under stratospheric conditions, with a notable shift in microbial composition and metabolic strategies. The robustness of Scytonema, particularly its unique survival capabilities, highlights its potential for extraterrestrial colonization. These findings expand our understanding of microbial proliferation in extreme environments, providing valuable insights for future astrobiological endeavors.

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A Fresh Start on the Problem of the Origin of Life

2024

Origin of Life via Archaea

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Physicochemical Processes That Probably Originated Life

Cited by 3 publications

References 83 publications

On the Origin of Genetically Coded Protein Synthesis

On the Origin of Genetically Coded Protein Synthesis

Synergistic response of extremophiles in cyanobacterial crusts against in-situ exposure to multiple stratospheric stresses

A Fresh Start on the Problem of the Origin of Life

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