Abiotic production of sugar phosphates and uridine ribonucleoside in aqueous microdroplets
Abstract
Phosphorylation is essential for life. Phosphorylated molecules play diverse functions in cells, including metabolic (e.g., sugar phosphates), structural (e.g., phospholipids), and instructional (e.g., RNA and DNA). In nature, the phosphorylation of sugars via condensation is thermodynamically and kinetically unfavorable in bulk solution. Thus, a key question arising within prebiotic chemistry concerning the origin of life is, “How was phosphorus incorporated into the biological world?” Here, we show that sugar phosphates and a ribonucleoside form spontaneously in microdroplets, without enzymes or an external energy source. Sugar phosphorylation in microdroplets has a lower entropic cost than in bulk solution. Therefore, thermodynamic obstacles of prebiotic condensation reactions can be circumvented in microdroplets.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Oct 23, 2017
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.1714896114
Entities
People
- Hong Gil Nam
- Inho Nam
- Jae Kyoo Lee
- Richard Zare
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology
- Institute for Basic Science
- Stanford University