Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI,) are working towards a ground breaking discovery. They have found a compound that may have played a crucial role in the origin of life on Earth.
Earlier, the Origins of Life researchers hypothesized phosphorylation, a chemical reaction was an important part to assemble the three key ingredients of early life. The three ingredients being, nucleotides to store genetic information, lipids to form confined structures such as cell walls and amino acids (peptides) for the main working of the cells.
Until now no one was able to find that one phosphorylating agent that could have been present on early Earth to produce the three classes of molecules. But now, the scientists at TSRI including a number of Indian researchers found just that one phosphorylating compound called diamidophosphate also known as DAP.
Senior author of the study from TSRI Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy explained, “We suggest a phosphorylation chemistry that could have given rise, all in the same place, to oligonucleotides, oligopeptides and the cell like structures to enclose them.”
He further added, “That, in turn, would have allowed other chemistries that were not possible before, potentially leading to the first simple, cell based living entities.”
The study published in the journal of Nature Chemistry is part of an ongoing effort by the TSRI researchers to explain the route of the epic journey from pre biological chemistry to cell based biochemistry.
Krishnamurthy was quoted saying, “With DAP and water and these mild conditions, you can get these three important classes of pre biological molecules to come together and be transformed, creating the opportunity for them to interact together.”
The study has shown that DAP can phosphorylate effectively with a number of simple sugars resulting in the construction of phosphorus containing carbohydrates involved in early life. This research points out DAP played a vital role in the origins of life.
To simply put it, Krishnamurthy said, “It reminds me of the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, who waves a wand and ‘poof,’ ‘poof,’ ‘poof,’ everything simple is transformed into something more complex and interesting.”
It needs to be considered that proving DAP’s role in the creation of life billions of years ago will not be easy. Krishnamurthy noted the key aspects of the molecule’s chemistry can be still found in modern biology.
He said, “DAP phosphorylates via the same phosphorus nitrogen bond breakage and under the same conditions as protein kinases, which are ubiquitous in present day life forms.”
He added, “DAP’s phosphorylation chemistry also closely resembles what is seen in the reactions at the heart of every cell’s metabolic cycle.”
Krishnamurthy plans to use these leads to work towards proving this theory. He teamed up with early Earth geochemists to identify the sources of DAP or similar acting phosphorous nitrogen compounds present on prebiotic primitive Earth.
