Sweet answer to the origins of life
01 October 2012
New research from the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology (MRC LMB) has delivered a breakthrough in our understanding of the chemistry of the origins of life. Whilst some maintain that life formed elsewhere in the universe and was transported to earth, the findings, published in Nature Chemistry, suggest that the genetic material essential for all known life originated from nothing more than our primitive planet’s atmosphere and the minerals on its surface.
For the emergence of life, nucleic acids (such as RNA) are a fundamental requirement. Understanding how molecules like RNA first formed is essential in understanding the origins of life but, until now, scientists have been unable to generate the two simple sugars needed to synthesise RNA.
Lead researcher Dougal Ritson, from the LMB’s Protein and Nucleic Acid Chemistry division, said:
“We have discovered a way to generate the sugars needed to synthesise RNA from the simple molecules that were abundant on earth nearly four billion years ago. Ironically, the feedstock molecule is hydrogen cyanide – a molecule that is acutely toxic to us.”
The research presents a giant leap forward in prebiotic sugar synthesis, and a major advance in the quest to discover the chemical reactions behind the emergence of life on earth. To make their discovery, the researchers filled a vial with degassed water (without oxygen), and then added copper cyanide and potassium cyanide. They then shone UV light on the mixture, and afterwards analysed the products by spectroscopy.
John Sutherland, a co-author on the paper, said:
“Our discovery suggests that the meteorites that collided with earth billions of years ago were a treasure trove of metals, some of which would have played a crucial role in the production of the building blocks of life. Furthermore, the conditions under which the active metal complexes formed and functioned provide unexpected novel insights into the geochemical conditions during the early phases of the earth’s history.”
Sir Hugh Pelham, Director of the MRC LMB, said:
“This fascinating study is a terrific example of how basic science supported by the MRC can provide important insights into some of the most fundamental questions in science – such as where we all came from. This knowledge has implications for synthetic biology which, in turn, may provide therapeutics of the future.”
This work was supported by the MRC and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Notes to editors
The article, ‘Prebiotic synthesis of simple sugars by photoredox systems chemistry’, by Ritson & Sutherland, is published in Nature Chemistry.
For more information, contact the MRC press office on 0207 395 2274 (out of hours: 07818 428297) or email press.office@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk.
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