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The earliest catabolic pathways

P H Clarke, S R Elsden

    Journal of Molecular Evolution
    |August 1, 1980
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Primitive microorganisms likely used anaerobic amino acid breakdown for energy. These reactions, seen in modern anaerobes, may represent early biochemical fossils from microbial evolution.

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    Area of Science:

    • Biochemistry
    • Evolutionary Biology
    • Microbiology

    Background:

    • Early life likely relied on simple energy sources.
    • Understanding primitive metabolism offers insights into early life evolution.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To explore the role of anaerobic amino acid catabolism as an energy source for primitive microorganisms.
    • To identify potential biochemical fossils in modern anaerobic organisms.

    Main Methods:

    • Review of amino acid catabolic pathways.
    • Analysis of reactions coupled to substrate-level phosphorylation.
    • Comparison with metabolic processes in extant anaerobic microorganisms.

    Main Results:

    • Anaerobic catabolism of amino acids can yield energy via substrate-level phosphorylation.

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  • Observed reactions in present-day anaerobes mirror potential early metabolic strategies.

    • Conclusions:

    • Amino acid catabolism was a plausible primary energy source for early life.
    • Modern anaerobic metabolic pathways may preserve evidence of early prokaryotic evolution.