Positively charged mineral surfaces promoted the accumulation of organic intermediates at the origin of metabolism

Identifying plausible mechanisms for compartmentalization and accumulation of the organic intermediates of early metabolic cycles in primitive cells has been a major challenge in theories of life's origins. Here, we propose a mechanism, where positive membrane potentials elevate the concentrati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS computational biology 2022-08, Vol.18 (8), p.e1010377
Main Authors: Akbari, Amir, Palsson, Bernhard O
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accumulation
Active transport
Analysis
Artificial Cells
Biochemistry
Biological Evolution
Biology and Life Sciences
Cell membranes
Earth Sciences
Energy resources
Enzymes
Fatty acids
Intermediates
Ion Channels
Lipid membranes
Lipids
Membrane potentials
Membranes
Metabolism
Minerals
Osmosis
Osmotic pressure
Permeability
Physical Sciences
Prebiotics
Research and Analysis Methods
Transition metals
Transportation systems
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Summary:Identifying plausible mechanisms for compartmentalization and accumulation of the organic intermediates of early metabolic cycles in primitive cells has been a major challenge in theories of life's origins. Here, we propose a mechanism, where positive membrane potentials elevate the concentration of the organic intermediates. Positive membrane potentials are generated by positively charged surfaces of protocell membranes due to accumulation of transition metals. We find that (i) positive membrane potentials comparable in magnitude to those of modern cells can increase the concentration of the organic intermediates by several orders of magnitude; (ii) generation of large membrane potentials destabilize ion distributions; (iii) violation of electroneutrality is necessary to induce nonzero membrane potentials; and (iv) violation of electroneutrality enhances osmotic pressure and diminishes reaction efficiency, resulting in an evolutionary driving force for the formation of lipid membranes, specialized ion channels, and active transport systems.
ISSN:1553-7358
1553-734X
1553-7358
DOI:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010377