Anthropology and disability
Author: Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Published: 02/08/2024
Type of publication: Anthropology News – Peer reviewed: Yeah
Content: Summary – Definition – Introduction – Major – Related
Synopsis: Researchers have demonstrated a mechanism that could have allowed the first RNA molecules to become stabilized in the primordial soup. In all likelihood, life on Earth began in water, perhaps in a tide pool that was isolated from seawater at low tide but flooded by waves at high tide. Over billions of years, complex molecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins formed in this environment before, eventually, the first cells arose. It is conceivable that a molecule made of three bases could be joined to a molecule made of three complementary bases, resulting in a stable double strand. Thanks to its long lifespan, more bases could be joined and the chain would grow.
Introduction
How could complex molecules form and remain intact for long periods without disintegrating? A team from ORIGINS, a cluster of excellence based in Munich, has demonstrated a mechanism that could have allowed the first RNA molecules to be stabilized in the primordial soup. When two RNA strands combine, their stability and lifespan are significantly increased.
Main Summary
Life on Earth most likely originated in water, perhaps in a tidal pool that was isolated from the seawater at low tide but flooded by waves at high tide. Over billions of years, complex molecules such as DNA, RNA and proteins formed in this environment before eventually the first cells arose. To date, however, no one has been able to explain exactly how this happened.
“We know which molecules existed on the early Earth,” says Job Boekhoven, professor of supramolecular chemistry at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). “The question is: Can we use this to reproduce the origin of life in the laboratory?”
The team led by Boekhoven at the ORIGINS Cluster of Excellence is primarily interested in RNA.
“RNA is a fascinating molecule,” Boekhoven says. “It can store information and also catalyze biochemical reactions.”
Therefore, scientists believe that RNA must have been the first of all complex molecules to form.
The problem, however, is that active RNA molecules are made up of hundreds or even thousands of bases and are very unstable. When immersed in water, RNA chains quickly break down into their constituent parts, a process known as hydrolysis. So how could RNA have survived in the primordial soup?
How did double strands form in the primordial soup?
In laboratory tests, the TUM and LMU researchers used a model system of RNA bases that bind together more easily than the bases found naturally in our cells today.
“We didn’t have millions of years and we wanted a quick answer,” Boekhoven explains.
The team added these fast-binding RNA bases to an aqueous solution, provided an energy source, and examined the length of the RNA molecules that formed. Their findings were discouraging, as the resulting chains of up to five base pairs only survived for a few minutes.
However, the results were different when the researchers started adding short strands of preformed RNA. Free complementary bases quickly attached to this RNA in a process called hybridization. Double strands of three to five base pairs in length formed and remained stable for several hours.
“The interesting thing is that double strands lead to folding of the RNA, which can make the RNA catalytically active,” explains Boekhoven.
Double-stranded RNA thus has two advantages: it has a longer lifespan in the primordial soup and serves as a basis for catalytically active RNA. But how could a double strand have formed in the primordial soup?
“We are currently exploring whether it is possible for RNAs to form their own complementary strand,” says Boekhoven.
It is possible for a molecule made up of three bases to join a molecule made up of three complementary bases, resulting in a stable double chain. Thanks to its long life span, other bases could join it and the chain would grow.
Evolutionary advantage of protocells
Another feature of double-stranded RNA could have contributed to the origin of life. First of all, it is important to note that RNA molecules can also form protocells, which are small droplets with an interior completely separated from the outside world. However, these protocells do not have a stable cell membrane and therefore easily fuse with other protocells, causing their contents to mix. This does not favor evolution because it prevents individual protocells from developing a unique identity. However, if the edges of these protocells are composed of double-stranded DNA, the cells become more stable and fusion is inhibited.
Ideas that are also applicable to medicine
In the future, Job Boekhoven hopes to further improve understanding of the formation and stabilization of the first RNA molecules.
“Some people consider this research to be a kind of hobby, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone realized how important RNA molecules can be, also for vaccines,” says Boekhoven. “So while our research strives to answer one of the oldest questions in science, that’s not all: we’re also generating knowledge about RNA that could benefit many people today.”
More information
Christine Kriebisch, author of the study, detailed her progress in the journal Springer Nature. “Behind the paper” series.
Chemistry of nature published a news article about the study: Mukhopadhyay, R.D. A template for artificial life. Nat. Chem. (2024).
He ORIGINS Cluster of Excellence The Centre for Research in Physics and Technology (CSIC) of the University of Nottingham (TUM), the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, the Max Planck Institute for Physics, the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics and the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre, research the formation of the universe and the origin of life.
Related information
Attribution/Source(s):
This peer-reviewed publication was selected for publication by the editors of Disabled World due to its high relevance to the disability community. Original author: Technical University of Munich (TUM)and published on August 2, 2024, content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarification, Technical University of Munich (TUM) You can contact him at tum.de. NOTE: Disabled World does not offer any warranty or endorsement related to this item.
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Cite this page (APA): Technical University of Munich (TUM). (2024, August 2). Primordial soup: what ensured the stability of the first molecules? Disabled worldRetrieved August 4, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/disability/education/anthropology/hybridization.php
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