ArticlePLoS computational biology2022
Positively charged mineral surfaces promoted the accumulation of organic intermediates at the origin of metabolism.
Article in PLoS computational biology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- The Emergence of Life in the Light of Evolution.ArXiv · 2026Article
- Multi-scale reactor designs extend the physical limits ofbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- A Fusion-Growth Protocell Model Based on Vesicle Interactions with Pyrite Particles.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Metabolic homeostasis and growth in abiotic cells.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2023Article
- A self-sustaining serpentinization mega-engine feeds the fougerite nanoengines implicated in the emergence of guided metabolism.Frontiers in microbiology · 2023Article
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2 authors.
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Abstract
Identifying plausible mechanisms for compartmentalization and accumulation of the organic intermediates of early metabolic cycles in primitive cells has been a major challenge in theories of life's origins. Here, we propose a mechanism, where positive membrane potentials elevate the concentration of the organic intermediates. Positive membrane potentials are generated by positively charged surfaces of protocell membranes due to accumulation of transition metals. We find that (i) positive membrane potentials comparable in magnitude to those of modern cells can increase the concentration of the organic intermediates by several orders of magnitude; (ii) generation of large membrane potentials destabilize ion distributions; (iii) violation of electroneutrality is necessary to induce nonzero membrane potentials; and (iv) violation of electroneutrality enhances osmotic pressure and diminishes reaction efficiency, resulting in an evolutionary driving force for the formation of lipid membranes, specialized ion channels, and active transport systems.
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