HISTIDINE AS AN ORIGIN OF LIFE POSSIBLE PRECURSOR
Article Sidebar
Published:
2017-09-01
Keywords:
histidine, prebiotic chemistry, molecular evolution, molecular complexity, catalyst.
Main Article Content
Abstract
The chemical processes occurred during the first years of the evolution of the planet Earth, before the presence of
cellular forms, have been continuous reason of studies at experimental level in many laboratories. Considering some
possible prebiotic environments, the presence of materials such as clays-type minerals, which could provide chemical
and structural elements such as their surfaces, have been given importance and validity to give protection and
reactivity to the organic molecules existing in the surrounding environment. These catalytic processes, mediated by
mineral surfaces, could give rise in the interstellar medium to a whole range of organic molecules. Many of these are
low molecular weights, such as amino acids and carboxylic acids and sometimes molecular weights are much higher.
Providing elements that help us to give new evidence about the origin of some molecules of biological importance
in the interstellar medium, always enrich the scientific field related to the origin of life, and in particular open new
horizons to understand the relevance of physicochemical processes that Could give rise to living organisms on primitive
Earth. The present work discusses the possible abiotic synthesis of the amino acid histidine and its importance
as an organic catalyst in the formation of oligopeptides in simulations of reactions at the origin of life. In this paper,
we discuss the relevance of having histidine monocrystals, simulating a process of hydration-dehydration in shallow
pools on the primitive Earth; A phenomenon that is essential for the formation of oligopeptides and, in turn, generate
supramolecular assemblies before the appearance of life on our planet.
cellular forms, have been continuous reason of studies at experimental level in many laboratories. Considering some
possible prebiotic environments, the presence of materials such as clays-type minerals, which could provide chemical
and structural elements such as their surfaces, have been given importance and validity to give protection and
reactivity to the organic molecules existing in the surrounding environment. These catalytic processes, mediated by
mineral surfaces, could give rise in the interstellar medium to a whole range of organic molecules. Many of these are
low molecular weights, such as amino acids and carboxylic acids and sometimes molecular weights are much higher.
Providing elements that help us to give new evidence about the origin of some molecules of biological importance
in the interstellar medium, always enrich the scientific field related to the origin of life, and in particular open new
horizons to understand the relevance of physicochemical processes that Could give rise to living organisms on primitive
Earth. The present work discusses the possible abiotic synthesis of the amino acid histidine and its importance
as an organic catalyst in the formation of oligopeptides in simulations of reactions at the origin of life. In this paper,
we discuss the relevance of having histidine monocrystals, simulating a process of hydration-dehydration in shallow
pools on the primitive Earth; A phenomenon that is essential for the formation of oligopeptides and, in turn, generate
supramolecular assemblies before the appearance of life on our planet.
Article Details
Section
Reviews
Universidad Politécnica Salesiana of Ecuador preserves the copyrights of the published works and will favor the reuse of the works. The works are published in the electronic edition of the journal under a Creative Commons Attribution/Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Ecuador license: works can be copied, used, disseminated, transmitted and publicly displayed.
The undersigned author partially transfers the copyrights of this work to Universidad Politécnica Salesiana of Ecuador for the printed edition.
References
1. Miller, S. L. Current status of the prebiotic synthesis of small molecules. Chem. Scr. 26B, 5–11 (1986).
2. Darwin, C. El origen de las especies. Available at: http://www.librosenred.com/libros/elorigendelasespecies.html. (Accessed: 11th January 2017)
3. Mosqueira, F. G., Negron-Mendoza, A. & Ramos-Bernal, S. An interpretation of the oligomerization of amino acids under prebiotic conditions. Bol. Soc. Geológica Mex. 67, 421–432
4. Sugahara, H. & Mimura, K. Glycine oligomerization up to triglycine by shock experiments simulating comet impacts. Geochem. J. 48, 51–62 (2014).
5. Rodriguez-Garcia, M. et al. Formation of oligopeptides in high yield under simple programmable conditions. Nat. Commun. 6, 8385 (2015).
6. Histidine. Wikipedia (2016).
7. ...::: Coordinación de Enseñanza
Bioquímica Facultad de Medicina UNAM - Imágenes del Libro Lehninger?:::... Available at: http://bioq9c1.fmedic.unam.mx/coordinacion/pptlehninger.html. (Accessed: 16th January 2017)
8. Gómez-Caballero, A. & Pantoja-Alor, J. El origen de la vida desde un punto de vista geológico. Bol. Soc. Geológica Mex. Tomo LVI, 56–86 (2003).
9. Nutman, A. P., Bennett, V. C., Friend, C. R. L., Van Kranendonk, M. J. & Chivas, A. R. Rapid emergence of life shown by discovery of 3,700-million-year-old microbial structures. Nature 537, 535–538 (2016).
10. Lazcano-Araujo, A. & Asociación Nacional de Universidades e Institutos de Enseñanza Superior. El origen de la vida: evolución química y evolución biológica. (Trillas, 1989).
11. Plankensteiner, K., Reiner, H. & Rode, B. M. Stereoselective differentiation in the Salt-induced Peptide Formation reaction and its relevance for the origin of life. Peptides 26, 535–541 (2005).
12. Meléndez-López, A. L., Ramos-Bernal, S. & Ramírez-Vázquez, M. L. Stability of guanine adsorbed in a clay mineral under gamma irradiation at temperatures (77 and 298 K): Implications for chemical evolution studies. in 111–115 (2014). doi:10.1063/1.4890710
13. Ehrenfreund, P. & Charnley, S. B. Organic Molecules in the Interstellar Medium, Comets, and Meteorites: A Voyage from Dark Clouds to the Early Earth. Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 38, 427–483 (2000).
14. Shen, C., Yang, L., Miller, S. L. & Oro, J. Prebiotic synthesis of histidine. J. Mol. Evol. 31, 167–174 (1990).
15. Shen, C., Yang, L., Miller, S. L. & Oró, J. Prebiotic synthesis of imidazole-4-acetaldehyde and histidine. Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. 17, 295–305 (2016).
16. Oba, Y. & Naraoka, H. Carbon isotopic composition of acetic acid generated by hydrous pyrolysis of macromolecular organic matter from the Murchison meteorite. Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 41, 1175–1181 (2006).
17. Gaustad, J. E. & Vogel, S. N. High energy solar radiation and the origin of life. Orig. Life 12, 3–8 (1982).
2. Darwin, C. El origen de las especies. Available at: http://www.librosenred.com/libros/elorigendelasespecies.html. (Accessed: 11th January 2017)
3. Mosqueira, F. G., Negron-Mendoza, A. & Ramos-Bernal, S. An interpretation of the oligomerization of amino acids under prebiotic conditions. Bol. Soc. Geológica Mex. 67, 421–432
4. Sugahara, H. & Mimura, K. Glycine oligomerization up to triglycine by shock experiments simulating comet impacts. Geochem. J. 48, 51–62 (2014).
5. Rodriguez-Garcia, M. et al. Formation of oligopeptides in high yield under simple programmable conditions. Nat. Commun. 6, 8385 (2015).
6. Histidine. Wikipedia (2016).
7. ...::: Coordinación de Enseñanza
Bioquímica Facultad de Medicina UNAM - Imágenes del Libro Lehninger?:::... Available at: http://bioq9c1.fmedic.unam.mx/coordinacion/pptlehninger.html. (Accessed: 16th January 2017)
8. Gómez-Caballero, A. & Pantoja-Alor, J. El origen de la vida desde un punto de vista geológico. Bol. Soc. Geológica Mex. Tomo LVI, 56–86 (2003).
9. Nutman, A. P., Bennett, V. C., Friend, C. R. L., Van Kranendonk, M. J. & Chivas, A. R. Rapid emergence of life shown by discovery of 3,700-million-year-old microbial structures. Nature 537, 535–538 (2016).
10. Lazcano-Araujo, A. & Asociación Nacional de Universidades e Institutos de Enseñanza Superior. El origen de la vida: evolución química y evolución biológica. (Trillas, 1989).
11. Plankensteiner, K., Reiner, H. & Rode, B. M. Stereoselective differentiation in the Salt-induced Peptide Formation reaction and its relevance for the origin of life. Peptides 26, 535–541 (2005).
12. Meléndez-López, A. L., Ramos-Bernal, S. & Ramírez-Vázquez, M. L. Stability of guanine adsorbed in a clay mineral under gamma irradiation at temperatures (77 and 298 K): Implications for chemical evolution studies. in 111–115 (2014). doi:10.1063/1.4890710
13. Ehrenfreund, P. & Charnley, S. B. Organic Molecules in the Interstellar Medium, Comets, and Meteorites: A Voyage from Dark Clouds to the Early Earth. Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 38, 427–483 (2000).
14. Shen, C., Yang, L., Miller, S. L. & Oro, J. Prebiotic synthesis of histidine. J. Mol. Evol. 31, 167–174 (1990).
15. Shen, C., Yang, L., Miller, S. L. & Oró, J. Prebiotic synthesis of imidazole-4-acetaldehyde and histidine. Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. 17, 295–305 (2016).
16. Oba, Y. & Naraoka, H. Carbon isotopic composition of acetic acid generated by hydrous pyrolysis of macromolecular organic matter from the Murchison meteorite. Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 41, 1175–1181 (2006).
17. Gaustad, J. E. & Vogel, S. N. High energy solar radiation and the origin of life. Orig. Life 12, 3–8 (1982).