Deoxyribose and deoxysugar derivatives from photoprocessed astrophysical ice analogues and comparison to meteorites

Nuevo, Michel; Cooper, George; Sandford, Scott A.

doi:10.1038/s41467-018-07693-x

Cited by 58 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The prebiotic access to the DNA building blocks 3 seems to be even more difficult since the Fischer–Orgel–Carell strategy would require d ‐deoxyribose, which is not readily accessible under prebiotic conditions . Furthermore, there is no uniform pathway including both purine and pyrimidine nucleosides.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Direct Prebiotic Pathway to DNA Nucleosides

2019

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It is assumed that RNA played a key role in the origin of life, and the transition to more complex but more stable DNA for continuous information storage and replication requires the development of a ribonucleotide reductase to obtain the deoxyribonucleotides from ribonucleotides. This step, as well as an alternative path from abiotic molecules to DNA‐based life is completely unknown. Shown here is the formation of deoxyribonucleosides under relevant prebiotic conditions in water in high regio‐ and stereoselectivity, from all canonical purine and pyrimidine bases, by condensation with acetaldehyde and sugar‐forming precursors. Thus, a continuous path to deoxyribonucleosides, starting from simple, prebiotically available molecules has been discovered. Furthermore, the deoxyapionucleosides (DApiNA) were identified as a potential DNA progenitor. The results suggest that the DNA world evolved much earlier than previously assumed.

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Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Direct Prebiotic Pathway to DNA Nucleosides

2019

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“…analyzed UVirradiated nitrogen (N2): 13 C-methane ( 13 CH4): 13 CO ices, but were only able to identify five acids (Table 1). Recent studies introduced methanol (CH3OH) to ice mixtures Meinert, et al 2016;Nuevo et al 2018) as methanol is ubiquitous in the ISM at levels up to 30% of water in interstellar ices (Boogert et al 2008;Bottinelli et al 2010). detected the most extensive polyols thus far, hydroxycarboxylic acids, and even ribose (HCO(CHOH)4H) in the residues of photo processed H2O: 13 CH3OH:NH3 ices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our experiments were conducted at doses of 168.9 ± 26.1 eV per methanol molecule representing typical life times of long-lived interstellar molecular clouds at ages of about 50 million years (Yeghikyan 2011;Jeffreson & Kruijssen 2018). No higher order sugars were found in the extractions of the residues, indicating that at least at doses below 168.9 ± 26.1 eV molecule −1 water and/or ammonia may be critical for the formation of biologically relevant sugars detected in the residues of UV photon-processed H2O: 13 CH3OH:NH3 and H2O: 13 CH3OH ices (de Marcellus, et al 2015;Meinert, et al 2016;Nuevo, et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Production of Polyols and Hydroxycarboxylic Acids in Interstellar Analogous Ices of Methanol

Zhu

Turner

Meinert

2020

ApJ

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This laboratory work studied the production of complex organic molecules (COMs) in pure methanol (CH3OH) ices exposed to ionizing radiation in the form of energetic electrons. The chemical evolution of the ices during the electron irradiation at 10 K and subsequent warm-up phase to 300 K was monitored online and in situ via Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometry. Polyols and hydroxycarboxylic acids related absorptions were observed in the infrared spectra of the irradiated ices and residues at room temperature. The residues were analyzed via two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS). Four polyols and five hydroxycarboxylic acids were detected. All of these compounds except 1,3-propanediol and 1,3-butanediol have been identified in the Murchison and Bell meteorites. The most abundant species, ethylene glycol, has also been found in the ISM.Our findings suggest that other polyols and acids may also be present in methanol-rich starforming regions. The non-detection of higher order sugars, as those found in the ultraviolet (UV) photon processed 13 C-methanol ( 13 CH3OH):water (H2O):ammonia (NH3) and 13 C-methanol ( 13 CH3OH):water (H2O) ice mixtures, indicates that the type of radiation source or more likely the prevalent NH3 and/or H2O molecules in the ISM are critical to the abiotic formation of the bio-essential sugars. Experiments are currently being designed to elucidate the roles of each component.

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“…A wide variety of organic compounds, some of them of biological relevance, is now reported to be present in these residues. The detected molecules include nucleobases (Nuevo et al 2009(Nuevo et al , 2017, glycerol, urea, glycolic acid (Nuevo et al 2010), hydantoin (de Marcellus et al 2011a), glyceraldehyde (de Marcellus et al 2015), various aldopentoses such as ribose, and a large set of sugar-related compounds (Meinert et al 2016). Amino acids are a class of well-studied organic compounds in residues (Briggs et al 1992;Kasamatsu et al 1997;Bernstein et al 2002;Muñoz Caro et al 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Amino Acid Distribution in Laboratory Analogs of Extraterrestrial Organic Matter: A Comparison to CM Chondrites

Modica

Martins

Meinert

et al. 2018

ApJ

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Laboratory experiments that simulate the photo-and thermo-chemistry of extraterrestrial ices always lead to the formation of semi-refractory organic residues. These residues can be considered as laboratory analogs for the primitive organic matter incorporated into comets and asteroids. Many specific organic molecules have been detected in them. Here we focus on amino acids because of their possible relevance to further prebiotic chemistry on Earth as well as in other solar system bodies. We compare the amino acid content and distribution measured in organic residues produced in our photochemical experiments to those observed in various CM chondrites presenting an increasing degree of aqueous alteration, a process that is thought to impact amino acid chemistry. We find that the amino acid profile of our residues shows similarities with that of the least aqueously altered CM chondrites. In particular, the β-alanine to glycine ratio is comparable to the one measured in the Paris meteorite, a minimally altered CM chondrite, and matches the trend followed by other CM chondrites with different degrees of aqueous alteration. Additionally, the relative abundances of α-, β-, and γ-amino acids in one of our residues are similar to those of the least altered CM chondrites. These results support the idea of a general formation process for amino acids from photo-and thermo-processing of icy grains as an important source for the inventory of amino acids in the early solar system.

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Deoxyribose and deoxysugar derivatives from photoprocessed astrophysical ice analogues and comparison to meteorites

Cited by 58 publications

References 44 publications

Direct Prebiotic Pathway to DNA Nucleosides

Direct Prebiotic Pathway to DNA Nucleosides

On the Production of Polyols and Hydroxycarboxylic Acids in Interstellar Analogous Ices of Methanol

The Amino Acid Distribution in Laboratory Analogs of Extraterrestrial Organic Matter: A Comparison to CM Chondrites

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