ORIGINS - Organic molecular generation of protocells on iron minerals

起源 - 在铁矿物上有机分子生成原始细胞

• 批准号: NE/Z000041/1
• 负责人: Jonathan Telling
• 金额: $ 113.29万
• 依托单位: Newcastle University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FZ000041%2F1
• 关键词: ORIGINS; Organic; molecular; generation; protocells

How life originated on our planet is one of the great unsolved scientific questions. While no rocks survive from this early in Earth's history, clues can be gained from scraps of evidence from biological 'fossils' still present in microorganisms today, a consideration of what early Earth environments were probably like, and by looking at similar environments on the modern Earth. Together the evidence is consistent with an origin of life at warm to hot (< 150 deg C) alkaline hydrothermal vents ('hot springs'), where iron-rich minerals helped react hydrogen gas from the hydrothermal vents and carbon dioxide from the oceans or surface water into the organic 'building blocks' of life. One problem, however, is that experiments trying to mimic this chemistry under relevant conditions have only formed very short organic molecules of 3 carbon atoms in length or less. These are too short to build the larger organic 'building blocks' of life; most importantly cell membranes essential for separating the cell (the basic unit of life) from outside water to allow the control of chemical gradients and later evolution of internal biochemistry.In ORIGINS we will build on exciting new experimental results from a pilot study at Newcastle University where we have formed long chains of organic molecules (including the building blocks of cell membranes) on iron-minerals under conditions mimicking the mixing of alkaline hydrothermal vent fluid with water at < 100 deg C. We will determine how different iron-minerals and water chemistries can form the key organic building blocks of early life. We will then aim to show how these organic building blocks can, given the right conditions, lift off the minerals and self-assemble into 'protocells'; membrane-bounded organic spheres with a strong resemblance to modern microbial cells; a key stepping-stone to life. Finally, we will take the first steps to test if these protocells can use metal-mineral clusters embedded within them to generate further organic molecules, grow, and replicate.ORIGINS will have impact on both Earth and beyond. Research will be linked to an outreach program in the NE of England, using interactive workshops to inspire school age children to continue with science-based subjects. ORIGINS will also aid the search for life elsewhere in our solar system. Icy moons such as Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus are thought to have similar alkaline hydrothermal vents at the bottom of their deep ice-covered oceans, and samples of them brought up by hydrothermal plumes to the moons' surfaces or expelled into space. We will link into the recently launched European Space Agency JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) mission, recently started on its eight year journey to explore Jupiter's icy moons. Samples of the organic molecules and protocells made in ORIGINS experiments will be used to test the ability of identical instruments to those on the JUICE spacecraft to detect organic molecules on the moons' surfaces prior to its arrival.

生命是如何在我们的星球上起源的，这是一个尚未解决的重大科学问题。虽然在地球历史的早期没有岩石幸存下来，但可以从今天仍然存在于微生物中的生物“化石”的证据碎片中获得线索，考虑早期地球环境可能是什么样的，并通过观察现代地球上的类似环境。这些证据与温暖到高温（< 150摄氏度）的碱性热液喷口（“温泉”）的生命起源是一致的，其中富含铁的矿物质有助于热液喷口的氢气和海洋或地表水的二氧化碳发生反应。水成为生命的有机“基石”。然而，一个问题是，试图在相关条件下模拟这种化学反应的实验只形成了长度为3个碳原子或更少的非常短的有机分子。最重要的是细胞膜，（生命的基本单位）在ORIGINS中，我们将建立在纽卡斯尔试点研究的令人兴奋的新实验结果的基础上在该大学，我们在模拟碱性热液喷口流体与< 100摄氏度的水混合的条件下，在铁矿物上形成了长链的有机分子（包括细胞膜的结构单元）。我们将确定不同的铁矿物质和水化学物质如何形成早期生命的关键有机构建块。然后，我们将致力于展示这些有机构建模块如何在适当的条件下，从矿物质中剥离并自组装成“原始细胞”;与现代微生物细胞非常相似的膜结合有机球体;生命的关键垫脚石。最后，我们将采取第一步来测试这些原始细胞是否可以使用嵌入其中的金属矿物簇来产生更多的有机分子，生长和复制。研究将与英格兰东北部的一个外展计划联系起来，利用互动研讨会激励学龄儿童继续学习科学科目。起源也将有助于在我们的太阳系其他地方寻找生命。冰质卫星，如木星的卫星欧罗巴和土星的卫星恩克拉多斯，被认为在其深冰覆盖的海洋底部有类似的碱性热液喷口，它们的样本被热液羽流带到卫星表面或被驱逐到太空。我们将链接到最近发射的欧洲航天局JUICE（木星冰卫星探测器）使命，最近开始了为期八年的探索木星冰卫星的旅程。在ORIGINS实验中制作的有机分子和原始细胞样本将用于测试与JUICE航天器上的仪器相同的仪器在卫星到达之前检测卫星表面有机分子的能力。