Work

Coenzyme Autocatalytic Network on the Surface of Oil Microspheres as a Model for the Origin of Life

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: Coenzymes are often considered as remnants of primordial metabolism, but not as hereditary molecules. I suggest that coenzyme-like molecules (CLMs) performed hereditary functions before the emergence of nucleic acids. Autocatalytic CLMs modified (encoded) surface properties of hydrocarbon microspheres, to which they were anchored, and these changes enhanced autocatalysis and propagation of CLMs. Heredity started from a single kind of self-reproducing CLM, and then evolved into more complex coenzyme autocatalytic networks containing multiple kinds of CLMs. Polymerization of CLMs on the surface of microspheres and development of template-based synthesis is a potential evolutionary path towards the emergence of nucleic acids.

Source: International Journal of Molecular Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/ijms10041838

Author: Alexei A. Sharov

Institutions: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging

Language: English

Topic: Origins and Evolution of Life

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,499

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging