Non-equilibrium conditions inside rock pores drive fission, maintenance and selection of coacervate protocells

Abstract

Key requirements for the first cells on Earth include the ability to compartmentalize and evolve. Compartmentalization spatially localizes biomolecules from a dilute pool and an evolving cell which grows and divides permits mixing and propagation of information to daughter cells. Complex coacervate microdroplets are excellent candidates as primordial cells with the ability to partition and concentrate molecules into their core and support primitive and complex biochemical reactions. However, the evolution of coacervate protocells by fusion, growth and fission has not yet been demonstrated. In this work, a primordial environment initiated the evolution of coacervate-based protocells. Gas bubbles inside heated rock pores perturb the coacervate protocell distribution and drive the growth, fusion, division and selection of coacervate microdroplets. This setting provides a primordial non-equilibrium environment. Our findings describe how common gas bubbles within heated rock pores induce the early evolution processes of coacervate-based protocells, providing a compelling scenario for the evolution of membrane-free coacervate microdroplets on the early Earth.

Endocytosis of Coacervates into Liposomes

“…16 In these examples, coacervate−membrane interactions and wetting play an important role in shaping the assembly of new structures. 17 However, it remains unclear how droplet−membrane interactions could be used to direct membrane deformation and possibly induce endocytosis. Inspired by these recent findings, here we investigate the spatiotemporal organization of coacervate droplets and liposomes as a result of wetting.…”

Multispecies autocatalytic RNA reaction networks in coacervates

“…providing a robustness to the chemical identity against parasitic perturbations while still maintaining chemical dynamicity (that allows for the networks to expand by the addition of new species/nodes). Perturbation scenarios can be easily constructed using phase-separated compartments since they can be maintained as individual entities and as well as, are amenable to dynamic fusion-fission events that allow for the mixing of information, that can aid in sustaining evolving chemical systems Ianeselli et al (2022). However, despite such fusion events we wondered whether membrane-less compartment system such as coacervates can impede the perturbation to the chemical composition of autocat- UG is also self-catalyzed by a weak wobble base-pair link (U→G link, not shown here).…”

“…While contemporary biological systems enforce our view of compartmentalization to round, spherical entities, in general, abiotic spatialization can occur in the form of eutectic phases Menor-Salván and Marín-Yaseli (2012), pores in hydrothermal vents Martin et al (2008); Deamer and Georgiou (2015), mineral surfaces Hazen and Sverjensky (2010), vesicles Chen and Walde (2010), phase-separated compartments Martin (2019) and even hydrodynamic flow structures Krieger et al (2020). Phase-separated compartments provide a versatile and diverse setting for chemical dynamics Ianeselli et al (2022) – for example, they can comprise of liquid-like droplets, gel-like particles, or even condensed macrophases resulting from the coalescence of these structures Ianeselli et al (2022) (Fig. 1A).…”

Temporal stimulus patterns drive differentiation of a synthetic coacervate

“…[14][15][16][17] Because of their ability to concentrate a wide variety of molecules and promote reactions in the interior, coacervates are a protocell model that may be pertinent to the origin of life. [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] This study demonstrates that only three key components are needed to enable the stimuli frequency-dependent response of an artificial system: (i) synthetic coacervates composed of a simple cationic dipeptide, (ii) anionic polymers that are synthesized by stimuli-triggered radical polymerisation inside the coacervates, and (iii) light with a tunable pulse frequency. Pulsed light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation at high frequency-to coacervates containing a photo-initiator and a methacrylate monomer-produced anionic polymers that strongly interacted with the cationic dipeptide, leading to changes in the morphology and physical properties of the coacervates.…”