The Origin of Life

Trefil, James; Morowitz, Harold J.; Smith, Eric

doi:10.1511/2009.78.206

Cited by 53 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…In the first half of the 20th century, the “metabolism first” theory provided a way to overcome the limitations of the hydrothermal theory because it focused on primitive reaction networks that might have generated the protocell . The key factor for this theory is the movement of electrons because the first biosynthetic reactions were processed without having any enzymatic support .…”

Section: Milestones For Artificial Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward Artificial Cells: Novel Advances in Energy Conversion and Cellular Motility

Jeong

Nguyen

Kim

et al. 2020

Adv Funct Materials

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The demand to discover every single cellular component has been continuously increasing along with the development of biological techniques. The bottom‐up approach to construct a cell‐mimicking system from well‐defined and tunable compositions is accelerating, with the ultimate goal of comprehending a biological cell. From among the available techniques, the artificial cell has been increasingly recognized as one of the most powerful tools for building a cell‐like system from scratch. This review summarizes the development of artificial cells, from a pure giant unilamellar vesicle (GUV) to a controllable, self‐fueled proteoliposome, both of which are highly compartmentalized. The basic components of an artificial cell, as well as the optimal conditions required for successful, reproducible GUV formation and protein reconstitution, are discussed. Most importantly, progress in studying the metabolic reactions in and the motility of a reconstituted artificial cell are the main focus of the review. The ability to perform a complicated reaction cascade in a controllable manner is highlighted as a promising perspective to obtaining an autonomous and movable GUV.

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Section: Milestones For Artificial Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward Artificial Cells: Novel Advances in Energy Conversion and Cellular Motility

Jeong

Nguyen

Kim

et al. 2020

Adv Funct Materials

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“…The 'metabolism-first' model for example draws attention to the origin of the energetic and matter components needed to build complex macromolecular machinery [Trefil et al, 2009]. The argument is that metabolism is very ancient and parts of modern metabolic networks emerged from prebiotic chemical reactions prior to cellular life [Maden, 1995].…”

Section: The Rna World Hypothesis and Its Modern Contendersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Coevolutionary Roots of Biochemistry and Cellular Organization Challenge the RNA World Paradigm

Caetano‐Anollés¹,

Seufferheld²

2013

Microb Physiol

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The origin and evolution of modern biochemistry and cellular structure is a complex problem that has puzzled scientists for almost a century. While comparative, functional and structural genomics has unraveled considerable complexity at the molecular level, there is very little understanding of the origin, evolution and structure of the molecules responsible for cellular or viral features in life. Recent efforts, however, have dissected the emergence of the very early molecules that populated primordial cells. Deep historical signal was retrieved from a census of molecular structures and functions in thousands of nucleic acid and protein structures and hundreds of genomes using powerful phylogenomic methods. Together with structural, chemical and cell biology considerations, this information reveals that modern biochemistry is the result of the gradual evolutionary appearance and accretion of molecular parts and molecules. These patterns comply with the principle of continuity and lead to molecular and cellular complexity. Here, we review findings and report possible origins of molecular and cellular structure, the early rise of lipid biosynthetic pathways and components of cytoskeletal microstructures, the piecemeal accumulation of domains in ATP synthase complexes and the origin and evolution of the ribosome. Phylogenomic studies suggest the last universal common ancestor of life, the ‘urancestor', had already developed complex cellular structure and bioenergetics. Remarkably, our findings falsify the existence of an ancient RNA world. Instead they are compatible with gradually coevolving nucleic acids and proteins in interaction with increasingly complex cofactors, lipid membrane structures and other cellular components. This changes the perception we have of the rise of modern biochemistry and prompts further analysis of the emergence of biological complexity in an ever-expanding coevolving world of macromolecules.

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“…It is gratifying to note that this irreducible picture can be roughly met via H-field-aligned colloids (Pu et al, 2007; see Percolation of Heat, Electrons). Next, consider the latter as hosts of a proto-metabolic reaction: the picture of high energy electrons transferred to sinks like CO 2 (Trefil et al, 2009) at level-II, seems consistent with that of functional “takeover” (c.f. Cairns-Smith, 2008) of the (spin-polarized) electron carriers at level-I by chiral organic assemblies, whose formation from building blocks would cause phase-space reduction.…”

Section: Towards Cooperative Transitionsmentioning

confidence: 82%

Field-Control, Phase-Transitions, and Life’s Emergence

Mitra-Delmotte¹,

Mitra²

2012

Front. Physio.

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Instances of critical-like characteristics in living systems at each organizational level (bio-molecules to ecosystems) as well as the spontaneous emergence of computation (Langton), do suggest the relevance of self-organized criticality (SOC). But extrapolating complex bio-systems to life’s origins, brings up a paradox: how could simple organics – lacking the “soft-matter” response properties of today’s complex bio-molecules – have dissipated energy from primordial reactions (eventually reducing CO2) in a controlled manner for their “ordering”? Nevertheless, a causal link of life’s macroscopic irreversible dynamics to the microscopic reversible laws of statistical mechanics is indicated via the “functional-takeover” of a soft magnetic scaffold by organics (c.f. Cairns-Smith’s “crystal-scaffold”). A field-controlled structure offers a mechanism for boot-strapping – bottom-up assembly with top-down control: its super-paramagnetic colloidal components obey reversible dynamics, but its dissipation of magnetic (H)-field energy for aggregation breaks time-reversal symmetry. The responsive adjustments of the controlled (host) mineral system to environmental changes would bring about mutual coupling between random organic sets supported by it; here the generation of long-range correlations within organic (guest) networks could include SOC-like mechanisms. And, such cooperative adjustments enable the selection of the functional configuration by altering the inorganic dipolar network’s capacity to assist a spontaneous process. A non-equilibrium dynamics could now drive the kinetically oriented system (trimming the phase-space via sterically coupled organics) toward a series of phase-transitions with appropriate organic replacements “taking-over” its functions. Where available, experiments are cited in support of these speculations and for designing appropriate tests.

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The Origin of Life

Cited by 53 publications

References 3 publications

Toward Artificial Cells: Novel Advances in Energy Conversion and Cellular Motility

Toward Artificial Cells: Novel Advances in Energy Conversion and Cellular Motility

The Coevolutionary Roots of Biochemistry and Cellular Organization Challenge the RNA World Paradigm

Field-Control, Phase-Transitions, and Life’s Emergence

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