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Competition between model protocells driven by an encapsulated catalyst.

Katarzyna Adamala¹, Jack W Szostak

¹Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.

Nature Chemistry

|May 23, 2013

Summary

This study models early evolution using fatty-acid vesicles and dipeptide catalysts. The system demonstrated enhanced vesicle growth and catalytic efficiency, suggesting a pathway for the origin of Darwinian evolution.

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Area of Science:

Origin of life studies
Protocell research
Biochemistry

Background:

Darwinian evolution requires heritable variation in fitness.
Protocell models explore early life mechanisms with replicating polymers and vesicles.
Genetic polymers can provide selective advantages by coding for catalysts.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate a partial model of nascent evolutionary traits in a protocell system.
To demonstrate how a dipeptide catalyst within vesicles can influence protocell behavior and fitness.
To explore the potential role of ribozyme-catalyzed peptide synthesis in initiating Darwinian evolution.

Main Methods:

Constructed a system of fatty-acid vesicles containing a dipeptide catalyst.
Investigated the catalytic activity of the dipeptide in synthesizing a second dipeptide.
Assessed the effect of the newly formed dipeptide on vesicle membrane properties and growth.
Compared catalytic efficiency within vesicles versus free solution.

Main Results:

The dipeptide catalyst successfully synthesized a second dipeptide within fatty-acid vesicles.
The newly formed dipeptide enhanced vesicle affinity for fatty acids, promoting vesicle growth.
Catalysis within vesicles was more efficient than in free solution, increasing protocell fitness.
The system partially modeled heritable variation and selection.

Conclusions:

The studied system provides a partial model for the emergence of Darwinian evolution.
Ribozyme-catalyzed peptide synthesis in protocells could be a sufficient mechanism to initiate evolution.
This research offers insights into the molecular basis of early life and evolutionary processes.