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Elements of metabolic evolution.

Claudia Huber1, Florian Kraus, Marianne Hanzlik

  • 1Lehrstuhl für Biochemie, Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85747 Garching, Germany.

Chemistry (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|January 14, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study explores the metabolism-first approach to the origin of life, using volcanic hydrothermal settings to drive reductive carbon fixation. Researchers demonstrated self-expanding metabolism through transition-metal catalysts and product feedback loops, showing the chemical possibility of metabolic evolution.

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Area of Science:

  • Origin of life research
  • Astrobiology and prebiotic chemistry
  • Metabolism-first hypothesis

Background:

  • The origin of life research is divided between genetics-first and metabolism-first approaches.
  • The metabolism-first approach focuses on chemical reaction cycles and self-sustaining metabolic networks.
  • Volcanic hydrothermal settings offer a plausible environment for early Earth chemical evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate reductive carbon fixation in a volcanic hydrothermal setting.
  • To explore the role of transition-metal catalysts in driving self-expanding metabolism.
  • To demonstrate the chemical feasibility of metabolic evolution through product feedback.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized volcanic C1 compounds (HCN, CO, CH(3)SH) as carbon sources and CO, H(2) as reductants.
  • Employed iron-group transition metals as catalysts in hydrothermal experiments.
  • Investigated catalytic systems including a nickel-cyano system and a cobalt-mercapto-carbonyl system, as well as hybrid systems.

Main Results:

  • The nickel-cyano system produced α-amino acids and α-hydroxy acids, suggesting a mechanism of repeated cyano insertions.
  • A mercapto-carbonyl system demonstrated double-carbonylation of mercaptans.
  • Hybrid systems combining these approaches showed increased productivity, especially when products from one system were added to another, demonstrating rate-promotion.

Conclusions:

  • Metabolic evolution is chemically possible through the self-organization of synthetic pathways.
  • Transition-metal catalysts can evolve by incorporating organic products as ligands, enhancing catalytic efficiency.
  • Product feedback, where the output of one reaction promotes another, is a viable mechanism for metabolic expansion.