Scientists have discovered a new origin of life chemical reaction

1. Scientists have discovered a new "origin of life" chemical reaction This reaction produces amino acids and nucleic acids, which are components of protein and DNA Four billion years ago, the earth looked very different from today. It had no life and was covered by the vast ocean. In the course of millions of years, in the primitive soup, life appeared. For a long time, researchers have been reasoning about how molecules come together to cause this change. Now, scientists at Scripps Research Center have discovered a new set of chemical reactions that use cyanide, ammonia, and carbon dioxide - which were thought to be common on early Earth - to produce amino acids and nucleic acids, which are basic components of protein and DNA. Dr. ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy, associate professor of chemistry at Scripps Institute, said, "we have proposed a new paradigm to explain this transition from pre life to biochemistry." He is also the main author of this new paper published in the journal Nature chemistry on July 28, 2022. "We believe that the reaction we describe may have been possible on earth in the early days." In addition to giving researchers an in-depth understanding of the chemical properties of the early Earth, newly discovered chemical reactions are also useful in some manufacturing processes, such as the generation of custom labeled biomolecules from cheap starting materials. Earlier this year, Krishnamurthy's team showed how cyanide makes chemical reactions possible, transforming pre life molecules and water into basic organic compounds for life. Unlike the previously proposed reaction, this reaction works at room temperature and a wide pH range. Researchers want to know whether there is a way to produce amino acids under the same conditions. In all known living cells, amino acids are more complex molecules that make up proteins. In today's cells, amino acids are produced by α- Precursors of ketoacids are produced using nitrogen and special proteins called enzymes. The researchers found that α- Evidence that ketoacids may exist in early Earth history. However, many people have assumed that before the emergence of cell life, amino acids must be made up of completely different precursor aldehydes rather than α- Ketoacids are produced because the enzymes that convert them do not yet exist. But this idea led to questions about from aldehydes to α- How and when the transformation of ketoacid as a key component in the

2. manufacture of amino acids takes place. After Krishnamurthy and his colleagues successfully used cyanide to drive other chemical reactions, they suspected that cyanide, even without enzymes, might help α- Keto acids are converted into amino acids. Because they knew they needed some form of nitrogen, they added ammonia, a form of nitrogen that existed on early Earth. Then, through repeated experiments, they found a third key component: carbon dioxide. With this mixture, they soon began to see the formation of amino acids. Krishnamurthy said, "we thought it would be difficult to figure out this problem, but it turned out to be simpler than we thought." "If you only mix ketoacid, cyanide and ammonia, it will stay there. As long as you add carbon dioxide, even a small amount of carbon dioxide, the reaction speed will be accelerated." The researchers said that because this new reaction is relatively similar to the reaction occurring in cells today - except that it is driven by cyanide rather than protein - it seems to be more likely to be the source of early life than a completely different reaction. This study also helps to link the two factions that have long debated the importance of carbon dioxide to early life and conclude that carbon dioxide is the key, but only when combined with other molecules. In the process of studying their chemical soup, Krishnamurthy's team found that the by-product of the same reaction was spironate, which is the precursor of nucleotides that make up DNA and RNA. This shows that the same primitive soup, under appropriate conditions, can produce a large number of molecules, which are necessary for the key elements of life. Krishnamurthy said, "our next step is to continue to explore what kind of chemical reaction this mixture will produce." "Can amino acids begin to form small proteins?" Will a protein come back and begin to produce more amino acids as an enzyme? "