Mutual feedback between metabolically active coacervate droplets and nucleic acid catalysts (P16)

我们将通过建立一个基于活性的、复杂的凝聚液滴（由益生元可信的阳离子肽和寡核苷酸组成）的原始细胞模型来研究原始细胞优先和核酸优先假设之间的协同作用。在化学燃料的反应循环中，当化学能可用时，活性液滴就会出现，没有化学能就会衰变。由于部分成分是基于核苷酸的，这些原始细胞可以包含遗传信息和宿主催化活性。我们将重点关注液滴微环境对NA催化剂活性和分子进化的影响，以及这些催化剂如何影响液滴的生存和/或增殖。

We will study the synergies between protocell-first and the nucleic acid (NA) first hypotheses by developing a protocell model based on active, complex coacervate droplets consisting of prebiotically plausible cationic peptides and oligonucleotides. In the chemically fueled reaction cycle, the active droplets emerge when chemical energy is available, and decay without. Since part of the components is nucleotide-based, these protocells can contain hereditary information and host catalytic activity. We will focus on effects of droplet microenvironment on the activity and molecular evolution of NA catalysts but also how these catalysts can affect droplet survival and / or proliferation.