Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 27, 2026
07:43
An Enzyme- and Serum-free Neural Stem Cell Culture Model for EMT Investigation Suited for Drug Discovery
Published on: August 23, 2016
Experimental models of primitive cellular compartments: encapsulation, growth, and division
Martin M Hanczyc1, Shelly M Fujikawa, Jack W Szostak
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|October 25, 2003
Summary
Montmorillonite clay accelerates the formation of fatty acid vesicles, encapsulating clay and RNA. These vesicles grow and divide, mimicking early cell replication processes.
Area of Science:
- Origins of life studies
- Prebiotic chemistry
- Geochemistry
Background:
- Montmorillonite clay catalyzes ribonucleic acid (RNA) polymerization.
- Fatty acid micelles are precursors to protocell membranes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate montmorillonite's role in fatty acid vesicle formation.
- To explore prebiotic encapsulation of catalytic materials within vesicles.
- To understand mechanisms for early cell growth and division.
Main Methods:
- Observing the interaction between montmorillonite and fatty acid micelles.
- Analyzing vesicle formation, growth, and division dynamics.
- Investigating the encapsulation of clay and RNA within vesicles.
Main Results:
- Montmorillonite accelerates the conversion of fatty acid micelles into vesicles.
- Clay particles and RNA adsorbed to clay are encapsulated within these vesicles.
- Vesicles demonstrate growth by incorporating fatty acids and division via extrusion, enabling replication.
Conclusions:
- Mineral-clay interactions provide a plausible pathway for the origin of compartmentalization in early life.
- Montmorillonite-mediated vesicle formation, growth, and division offer a model for early cell replication.
- This process highlights the potential role of mineral surfaces in concentrating and encapsulating biomolecules for prebiotic evolution.
Related Concept Videos
01:46Eukaryotic Compartmentalizations
One of the distinguishing features of eukaryotic cells is that they contain membrane-bound organelles, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, that carry out specialized functions. Since biological membranes are only selectively permeable to solutes, they help create a compartment with controlled conditions inside an organelle. These microenvironments are tailored to the organelle's specific functions and help isolate them from the surrounding cytosol.
For example, lysosomes in the animal cells...
For example, lysosomes in the animal cells...
02:36Cells Coordinate Growth and Proliferation
Cell size is a significant factor impacting cellular design, function, and fitness. There exists some internal coordination by which cells double their masses before division, thus, achieving homeostasis. Coordination between cell growth and proliferation depends on the checkpoints in between cell cycle phases. Loss of coordination or failure in the checkpoint mechanism can drive the cell to uncontrolled growth and loss of cellular function. Like dividing cells that coordinate cellular growth,...
01:59The Phragmoplast
Cell division is essential for organismal growth and development. In animal cells, the central spindle and its associated proteins form the midbody, a structure that has an essential role in cytokinesis. In plants, the central spindle, along with the microtubules, actin, and other cell components, matures into the phragmoplast, which is necessary for cytokinesis. Unlike the stationary midbody, the phragmoplast expands centrifugally, eventually leading to the formation of the new cell wall.
The...
The...
02:33Distribution of Cytoplasmic Content
Cytokinesis segregates a cell’s chromosomes and organelles into its daughter cells. Organelles divide and grow prior to cell division but cannot be synthesized de novo; therefore, cells must receive at least one copy of each organelle to survive. Currently, many of the details of how the organelles are distributed are not yet fully elucidated.
Distribution of cytoplasmic determinants
The cytoplasm contains various organelles, as well as salts, proteins, and water. The distribution of small...
Distribution of cytoplasmic determinants
The cytoplasm contains various organelles, as well as salts, proteins, and water. The distribution of small...
01:37Eukaryotic Compartmentalization
One of the distinguishing features of eukaryotic cells is that they contain membrane-bound organelles, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, that carry out specialized functions. Since biological membranes are only selectively permeable to solutes, they help create a compartment with controlled conditions inside an organelle. These microenvironments are tailored to the organelle's specific functions and help isolate them from the surrounding cytosol.
For example, lysosomes in the animal cells...
For example, lysosomes in the animal cells...
01:27Diversity of Protists IV
Amoebozoa represent a diverse group of terrestrial and aquatic protists that utilize lobe-shaped pseudopodia for locomotion and feeding. This characteristic differentiates them from the Rhizaria, which possess threadlike pseudopodia. The primary classifications within Amoebozoa include gymnamoebas, entamoebas, and the plasmodial and cellular slime molds. Phylogenetic evidence indicates that Amoebozoa diverged from a lineage that ultimately gave rise to fungi and animals.Gymnamoebas and...