Prebiotic iron–sulfur peptide catalysts generate a pH gradient across model membranes of late protocells
| Autor: | Sheref S. Mansy, Fabrizia Fabrizi de Biani, Maddalena Corsini, Graziano Guella, Claudia Bonfio, Elisa Godino |
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| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
chemistry.chemical_classification Protocell Chemistry Process Chemistry and Technology chemistry.chemical_element Bioengineering Metabolism Catalysis Biochemistry Electron acceptor 010402 general chemistry 01 natural sciences Sulfur 0104 chemical sciences 03 medical and health sciences chemistry.chemical_compound 030104 developmental biology Membrane Biophysics Hydroxide Hydrogen peroxide |
| Zdroj: | Nature Catalysis. 1:616-623 |
| ISSN: | 2520-1158 |
| Popis: | Prebiotic chemistry was likely mediated by metals, but how such prebiotic chemistry progressed into the metabolic-like networks needed to sustain life remains unclear. Here we experimentally delineate a potential path from prebiotically plausible iron–sulfur peptide catalysts to the types of pH gradients exploited by all known living organisms. Iron–sulfur peptides cooperatively accept electrons from NADH in a manner that is only partially mediated by ionic interactions. The electrons are then either passed to a terminal electron acceptor, such as hydrogen peroxide, or to an intermediate carrier, such as ubiquinone. The reduction of hydrogen peroxide leads to the production of hydroxide, which then contributes to the formation of a pH gradient across late protocell membranes. The data are consistent with the activity of prebiotic iron–sulfur peptide catalysts providing a selective advantage by equipping protocells with a pathway that connects catabolism to anabolism. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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