Attractor dynamics drives self-reproduction in protobiological catalytic networks

Kahana, Amit; Segev, Lior; Lancet, Doron

doi:10.1016/j.xcrp.2023.101384

Cited by 4 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…Motivated by the latter and based on the likely presence of various amphiphilic compounds in a prebiotic environment, the graded autocatalysis replication domain (GARD) model has been proposed [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Within the GARD model, attractor dynamics were shown to drive towards micellar self-reproducing states with very specific amphiphile compositions, so-called composomes [ 15 ]. Similar to RNA strands, composomes have the capability to carry and multiply coded information [ 14 ].…”

Section: Defining Progress In Gard Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Instead of being represented by a molecular chain sequence as in RNA, composomes code compositional information [ 12 ] in the specific deviation of the relative amounts of the various amphiphiles in the micelle from those in the surrounding solution. These characteristic deviations from the surrounding solution, caused by mutual catalysis among molecules in a micelle formation, are thus a direct consequence of the specific catalytic network [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Different composomes are different attractor states of the internal organization of such networks [ 17 ].…”

Section: Defining Progress In Gard Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At later evolutionary stages, as detailed below, the supply of high-energy compounds keeps the non-equilibrium for endogenous covalent syntheses. Finally, what always keeps the micellar system away from equilibrium is the fission process, driven by external forces such as turbulence, allowing restarting the energetically downhill progression of accretion [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

Section: Defining the Order Of The System—reciprocal Sequential Entropymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This changes dramatically as soon as the catalytic network starts to influence the micellar composition, according to Equation (1). During this development, the micellar composition is no longer random but follows the principle of an attractor [ 15 ], leading to amphiphile populations that deviate significantly from the starting values π i . The resulting composome attractors take an increasing influence on the data string of the random walk.…”

Section: Defining the Complexity Of The System—the Size Of The Reprod...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Numerical simulations of micellar attractors have shown that composomes that emerge from an environment with N G lipid types generally end up with the specific participation of a characteristic subset of types N C < N G [ 15 , 26 ]. All other amphiphiles that occur at the equilibrium concentration do not require additional code for the individual composome’s description.…”

Section: Defining the Complexity Of The System—the Size Of The Reprod...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The GARD Prebiotic Reproduction Model Described in Order and Complexity

Mayer,

Lancet,

Markovitch

2024

Life

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Early steps in the origin of life were necessarily connected to the unlikely formation of self-reproducing structures from chaotic chemistry. Simulations of chemical kinetics based on the graded autocatalysis replication domain (GARD) model demonstrate the ability of a micellar system to become self-reproducing units away from equilibrium. Even though they may be very rare in the initial state of the system, the property of their endogenous mutually catalytic networks being dynamic attractors greatly enhanced reproduction propensity, revealing their potential for selection and Darwinian evolution processes. In parallel, order and complexity have been shown to be crucial parameters in successful evolution. Here, we probe these parameters in the dynamics of GARD-governed entities in an attempt to identify characteristic mechanisms of their development in non-covalent molecular assemblies. Using a virtual random walk perspective, a value for consecutive order is defined based on statistical thermodynamics. The complexity, on the other hand, is determined by the size of a minimal algorithm fully describing the statistical properties of the random walk. By referring to a previously published diagonal line in an order/complexity diagram that represents the progression of evolution, it is shown that the GARD model has the potential to advance in this direction. These results can serve as a solid foundation for identifying general criteria for future analyses of evolving systems.

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Section: Defining Progress In Gard Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Defining Progress In Gard Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Defining the Order Of The System—reciprocal Sequential Entropymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Defining the Complexity Of The System—the Size Of The Reprod...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Defining the Complexity Of The System—the Size Of The Reprod...mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The GARD Prebiotic Reproduction Model Described in Order and Complexity

Mayer,

Lancet,

Markovitch

2024

Life

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Experimentally modeling the emergence of prebiotically plausible phospholipid vesicles

Pulletikurti,

Veena,

Yadav

et al. 2024

Chem

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Multistable Protocells Can Aid the Evolution of Prebiotic Autocatalytic Sets

Singh,

Jain

2023

Life

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We present a simple mathematical model that captures the evolutionary capabilities of a prebiotic compartment or protocell. In the model, the protocell contains an autocatalytic set whose chemical dynamics is coupled to the growth–division dynamics of the compartment. Bistability in the dynamics of the autocatalytic set results in a protocell that can exist with two distinct growth rates. Stochasticity in chemical reactions plays the role of mutations and causes transitions from one growth regime to another. We show that the system exhibits ‘natural selection’, where a ‘mutant’ protocell in which the autocatalytic set is active arises by chance in a population of inactive protocells, and then takes over the population because of its higher growth rate or ‘fitness’. The work integrates three levels of dynamics: intracellular chemical, single protocell, and population (or ecosystem) of protocells.

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Attractor dynamics drives self-reproduction in protobiological catalytic networks

Cited by 4 publications

References 79 publications

The GARD Prebiotic Reproduction Model Described in Order and Complexity

The GARD Prebiotic Reproduction Model Described in Order and Complexity

Experimentally modeling the emergence of prebiotically plausible phospholipid vesicles

Multistable Protocells Can Aid the Evolution of Prebiotic Autocatalytic Sets

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