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Vesicles protect activated acetic acid.

Zoe R Todd1, Christopher H House

  • 1Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University , University Park, Pennsylvania.

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|October 4, 2014
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Methyl thioacetate, a proposed molecule for the origin of life, rapidly hydrolyzes. However, hydrophobic environments like early cell membranes protected it, suggesting a role in prebiotic energy storage.

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Area of Science:

  • Astrobiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Origin of Life Studies

Background:

  • Methyl thioacetate is theorized as a crucial molecule for life's origin and early cellular energy.
  • Understanding its stability is key to evaluating its proposed roles.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the hydrolysis rates of methyl thioacetate under various conditions.
  • To determine if hydrophobic environments could stabilize methyl thioacetate for prebiotic relevance.

Main Methods:

  • Experimentally measured the uncatalyzed hydrolysis rate of methyl thioacetate.
  • Assessed methyl thioacetate stability within hydrophobic droplets, hexane, and nonanoic acid vesicles.

Main Results:

  • Uncatalyzed hydrolysis of methyl thioacetate is significantly faster than its catalyzed production, limiting prebiotic accumulation.
  • Methyl thioacetate demonstrated protection from hydrolysis when encapsulated within hydrophobic droplets, hexane, and nonanoic acid vesicle membranes.

Conclusions:

  • Hydrophobic regions of early cell membranes could have protected methyl thioacetate, extending its functional lifetime.
  • This protection mechanism highlights a potential critical role for early cell membranes in energy storage for primitive life.