Recent progress in primitive polyester synthesis and membraneless microdroplet assembly

Jia, Tony Z.; Chandru, Kuhan

doi:10.2142/biophysico.bppb-v20.0012

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…[39] This includes the possibility that coacervates contributed to the origins of life by facilitating the transition from membrane-free to membrane-bound compartments, bringing together RNA and peptides for co-evolution, localizing prebiotic metabolites to initiate primitive metabolism, and evolving through growth and division while maintaining an out-of-equilibrium state. While there are other types of primitive membraneless protocell models such as aqueous two-phase systems, [44] supercritical carbon dioxide, [19] and polyester microdroplets [106][107][108] we focus on coacervates as membraneless protocell models due to their compositional similarity to biological condensates.…”

Section: Primitive Biopolymer-based Coacervatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A compositional view comparing modern biological condensates and primitive phase‐separated compartments

Cannelli,

Gupta,

Nguyen

et al. 2023

Peptide Science

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Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a process that often occurs due to binding between oppositely charged biopolymers, and has gained increasing attention recently due to their ubiquity in biological systems and ability to direct essential cellular processes. However, while these discoveries in biology are recent, the field of origins of life has been investigating LLPS for nearly 100 years, ever since the first suggestions by Oparin and Haldane that primitive LLPS could have been precursors to the first cells on Earth. Since then, a significant amount of work has been done to elucidate different primitive LLPS systems that could have been relevant as protocellular models. Given the structural similarities between primitive LLPS and modern membraneless organelles, there may even be an evolutionary link between the two, although this remains a question to be answered. Nevertheless, in order to answer this, a source that compares compositional aspects of modern biological condensates and primitive LLPS is necessary. Here, we first focus on membraneless organelles composed of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and nucleic acids. Then, as a parallel, we explore primitive membraneless compartments composed of simple biopolymers such as short peptides and nucleic acids. This is followed by a discussion of how the first biomolecules on Earth may have originated, analyzing the environmental and chemical conditions that could have favored primitive LLPS processes. Finally, we directly compare composition of modern biological condensates and primitive phase‐separated compartments, further discussing the potential of primitive IDPs on early Earth, but also the evolution from membraneless to membrane‐bound cells. This review aims to provide a compositional comparison of modern and primitive phase‐separated structures in order to help researchers in both fields understand the current state of knowledge, how this knowledge evolved, and the current gaps that need to be further addressed.

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Section: Primitive Biopolymer-based Coacervatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A compositional view comparing modern biological condensates and primitive phase‐separated compartments

Cannelli,

Gupta,

Nguyen

et al. 2023

Peptide Science

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show abstract

“…[31] This includes the possibility that coacervates facilitated the transition from membrane-free to membrane-bound compartments, brought together RNA and peptides for coevolution, localized prebiotic metabolites to initiate primitive metabolism, and evolved through growth and division while maintaining an out-of-equilibrium state, each of which could have been important steps in the origin of life. While there are other types of primitive membraneless protocell models, such as aqueous two-phase systems, [36] supercritical carbon dioxide, [13] and polyester microdroplets, [111][112][113] we focus on coacervates as membraneless protocell models.…”

Section: Primitive Biopolymer-based Coacervatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging the Gap Between Primitive and Modern Phase Separation

Cannelli,

Gupta,

Nguyen

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a process that often occurs due to binding between oppositely charged biopolymers, and has gained increasing attention recently due to their ubiquity in biological systems and ability to direct essential cellular processes. For example, aberrant biological LLPS can lead to the emergence and progression of various diseases and disorders, and many significant advances have been made in the biological phase separation field. However, while these discoveries in biology are recent, the field of origins of life has been investigating LLPS for nearly 100 years, ever since the first suggestions by Oparin and Haldane that primitive LLPS could have been precursors to the first cells on Earth. Since then, a significant amount of work has been done to elucidate different primitive LLPS systems that could have been relevant as protocellular models. Given the structural similarities between primitive LLPS and modern membraneless organelles, there may even be an evolutionary link between the two, although this remains a question to be answered. Nevertheless, in order to answer this, a source that compares aspects of modern and primitive LLPS is necessary. Here, we first focus on the assembly of membraneless organelles from intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and nucleic acids, and discuss an example by which aberrant LLPS can result in progression of a disease (tumorigenesis). Then, as a parallel, we explore assembly of primitive membraneless compartments from simple biopolymers such as short peptides and nucleic acids. This is followed by a discussion of how the first biomolecules on Earth may have originated, analyzing the environmental and chemical conditions that could have favored primitive LLPS processes. Finally, we directly compare various aspects of LLPS assembly from both a primitive and a modern perspective, further discussing the potential of primitive IDPs on early Earth, but also the evolution from membraneless to membrane-bound cells. This review aims to provide a comparison of modern and primitive phase separation, including assembly and function, in order to help researchers in both fields understand the current state of knowledge, how this knowledge evolved, and the current gaps that need to be further addressed.

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“…Various potentially prebiotic peptide-analogs demonstrate recalcitrance [136][137][138][139]. For instance, drying hydroxy acids leads to synthesis of polyesters that form microdroplets [137,138,140,141]. Peptide analogues such as thiodepsipeptides, which contain both thioester and amide bonds, are of particular interest due to their relevance to prebiotic chemistry and low activation energies for condensation and hydrolysis [142,143].…”

Section: Zhangmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assembly‐driven protection from hydrolysis as key selective force during chemical evolution

Edri,

Fisher,

Menor‐Salvan

et al. 2023

FEBS Letters

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The origins of biopolymers pose some of the most fascinating questions in prebiotic chemistry. The marvelous assembly proficiencies of biopolymers suggest they are winners of a competitive evolutionary process. Molecular assembly is ubiquitous in life and in abiotic systems and is often emergent upon polymerization. We focus on the influence of molecular assemblies on hydrolysis rates in aqueous media, and suggest that assembly was crucial for biopolymer selection. We suggest that incremental enrichment of some molecular species over others during chemical evolution was partially driven by interplay of kinetics of synthesis and hydrolysis. We document the general attenuation of hydrolysis by assembly of biopolymers and highlight the likely role of assembly in survival of the ‘fittest’ molecules during chemical evolution.

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Recent progress in primitive polyester synthesis and membraneless microdroplet assembly

Abstract: Biophysics and Physicobiologyhttps://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/biophysico/

Cited by 5 publications

References 86 publications

A compositional view comparing modern biological condensates and primitive phase‐separated compartments

A compositional view comparing modern biological condensates and primitive phase‐separated compartments

Bridging the Gap Between Primitive and Modern Phase Separation

Assembly‐driven protection from hydrolysis as key selective force during chemical evolution

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