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研究利用化学能活化和构建生命起源的分子单元
作者:小柯机器人 发布时间:2020/10/28 12:52:20

英国MRC分子生物学实验室的John D. Sutherland研究团队近日取得一项新成果。经过不懈努力,他们的研究显示,不需借助酶,仅仅利用化学能就可以活化和构建生命起源所需的分子单元。 2020年10月22日,该研究发表在国际顶尖学术期刊《自然·化学》上。

这项研究表明,通过利用来自异腈内部的化学能,在酸和4,5-二氰基咪唑的催化下,可在温和水溶液中实现磷酸核苷和羧酸的活化。羧酸盐和磷酸盐的共活化为产生包括羧酸-磷酸混合酸酐在内的活性中间体提供了多种可能的反应途径,而这些活性中间体可被用于进一步合成RNA、肽链、RNA-肽复合物和原始磷脂。

他们的研究结果表明,通过协同活化生命起源前的分子,可以将常见分子库中的分子在水溶液中构建为生命起源的基本单元,使生命系统变得更复杂,并出现类似今天生命系统中包裹的肽-核酸体系。

据介绍,生命是由持续不断的能量输入所维系的远离平衡态的系统。在当今的生命系统中,合成主要的能量货币——三磷酸腺苷,以及利用三磷酸腺苷合成其他生物分子都需要酶的参与。因此,在酶出现之前,一定有其他能量来源,可能在简单的化学催化下,参与了活化羧酸盐和磷酸盐的缩合反应。

附:英文原文

Title: Harnessing chemical energy for the activation and joining of prebiotic building blocks

Author: Ziwei Liu, Long-Fei Wu, Jianfeng Xu, Claudia Bonfio, David A. Russell, John D. Sutherland

Issue&Volume: 2020-10-22

Abstract: Life is an out-of-equilibrium system sustained by a continuous supply of energy. In extant biology, the generation of the primary energy currency, adenosine 5′-triphosphate and its use in the synthesis of biomolecules require enzymes. Before their emergence, alternative energy sources, perhaps assisted by simple catalysts, must have mediated the activation of carboxylates and phosphates for condensation reactions. Here, we show that the chemical energy inherent to isonitriles can be harnessed to activate nucleoside phosphates and carboxylic acids through catalysis by acid and 4,5-dicyanoimidazole under mild aqueous conditions. Simultaneous activation of carboxylates and phosphates provides multiple pathways for the generation of reactive intermediates, including mixed carboxylic acid–phosphoric acid anhydrides, for the synthesis of peptidyl–RNAs, peptides, RNA oligomers and primordial phospholipids. Our results indicate that unified prebiotic activation chemistry could have enabled the joining of building blocks in aqueous solution from a common pool and enabled the progression of a system towards higher complexity, foreshadowing today’s encapsulated peptide–nucleic acid system.

DOI: 10.1038/s41557-020-00564-3

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-020-00564-3

期刊信息

Nature Chemistry:《自然—化学》,创刊于2009年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团,最新IF:21.687
官方网址:https://www.nature.com/nchem/
投稿链接:https://mts-nchem.nature.com/cgi-bin/main.plex