The coenzyme/protein pair and the molecular evolution of life

Kirschning, Andreas

doi:10.1039/d0np00037j

Cited by 14 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 195 publications

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“…Similarly, eukaryotic biosynthesis of nicotinamide 2 can be evolutionarily eliminated as an early development, in part because the biosynthesis of tryptophan requires NAD + and PLP among other coenzymes. 2…”

Section: Can the Analysis Provide Insight Into Coenzyme Evolution?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From an evolutionary point of view, cofactors and also the organic representatives must be very old and give us a clue to the origin of life, since their purpose and role have remained unchanged since the presumed starting point of life. 2 It is likely that most of the examples described below already existed about 4 billion years ago.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the basis of these evaluations, with regard to known hypothetical approaches, an additional perspective on the possible origin of an early metabolism becomes available (Table 1). 2…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the evolution of coenzyme biosynthesis

Kirschning

2022

Nat. Prod. Rep.

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Section: Can the Analysis Provide Insight Into Coenzyme Evolution?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the evolution of coenzyme biosynthesis

Kirschning

2022

Nat. Prod. Rep.

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“…Although various studies have supported the prebiotic synthesis of some coenzymes or cofactors (Austin and Waddell 1999;Goldman and Kacar 2021;Kirschning 2021b), it has not yet been achieved.…”

Section: A Cofactor-based Mechanism For the Association Of Amino Acid...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One key fact is that the current biosynthesis of all 20 amino acids requires different sets of coenzymes, such as PLP, NAD + (nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide), CoA, and TPP (thiamine pyrophosphate). In the origin of life both molecules (amino acids and cofactors) could be formed independently of each other under prebiotic conditions (Kirschning 2021b). The prebiotic synthesis of at least several amino acids as the methionine occurs in variations of the classical Miller experiment (Bada 2013).…”

Section: A Cofactor-based Mechanism For the Association Of Amino Acid...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Cofactor-Based Mechanism for the Origin of the Genetic Code

Giménez

Tabarés‐Seisdedos

2022

Orig Life Evol Biosph

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The origin of the genetic code is probably the central problem of the studies on the origin of life. The key question to answer is the molecular mechanism that allows the association of the amino acids with their triplet codons. We proposed that the codon-anticodon duplex located in the acceptor stem of primitive tRNAs would facilitate the chemical reactions required to synthesize cognate amino acids from simple amino acids (glycine, valine, and aspartic acid) linked to the 3′ acceptor end. In our view, various nucleotide-A-derived cofactors (with reactive chemical groups) may be attached to the codon-anticodon duplex, which allows group-transferring reactions from cofactors to simple amino acids, thereby producing the final amino acid. The nucleotide-A-derived cofactors could be incorporated into the RNA duplex (helix) by docking Adenosine (cofactor) into the minor groove via an interaction similar to the A-minor motif, forming a base triple between Adenosine and one complementary base pair of the duplex. Furthermore, we propose that this codon-anticodon duplex could initially catalyze a self-aminoacylation reaction with a simple amino acid. Therefore, the sequence of bases in the codon-anticodon duplex would determine the reactions that occurred during the formation of new amino acids for selective binding of nucleotide-A-derived cofactors.

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On the Evolutionary History of the Twenty Encoded Amino Acids

Kirschning

2022

Chemistry A European J

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α-Amino acids are essential molecular constituents of life, twenty of which are privileged because they are encoded by the ribosomal machinery. The question remains open as to why this number and why this 20 in particular, an almost philosophical question that cannot be conclusively resolved. They are closely related to the evolution of the genetic code and whether nucleic acids, amino acids, and peptides appeared simultaneously and were available under prebiotic conditions when the first self-sufficient complex molecular system emerged on Earth. This report focuses on prebiotic and metabolic aspects of amino acids and proteins starting with meteorites, followed by their formation, including peptides, under plausible prebiotic conditions, and the major biosynthetic pathways in the various kingdoms of life. Coenzymes play a key role in the present analysis in that amino acid metabolism is linked to glycolysis and different variants of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA, rTCA, and the incomplete horseshoe version) as well as the biosynthesis of the most important coenzymes. Thus, the report opens additional perspectives and facets on the molecular evolution of primary metabolism.

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The coenzyme/protein pair and the molecular evolution of life

Abstract: Proteins and coenzymes/co-factors represent a chicken and egg problem in the biotic world, and a “retrosynthetic” journey provides insights into molecular evolution and the origin of life.

Cited by 14 publications

References 195 publications

On the evolution of coenzyme biosynthesis

On the evolution of coenzyme biosynthesis

A Cofactor-Based Mechanism for the Origin of the Genetic Code

On the Evolutionary History of the Twenty Encoded Amino Acids

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