Biochemists create protocells to investigate how lipids formed the first cell membranes

Credit: Nature Chemistry (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41557-024-01666-y
A team of biochemists at the University of California, San Diego, in collaboration with a group of biochemical engineers at the University of California, Los Angeles, discovered that the development of short lipids may have led to the development of early cell membranes. Earth.
In a study published in the journal Nature Chemistry, the research group combined cysteine ​​with chemical analogs of fatty acids to form a two-tailed lipid and discovered clues about the origins of life on Earth.
The researchers reasoned that for cells to arise on early Earth, some form of cell boundary must have first formed to protect the cell’s contents from the environment. Noting that all modern cell membranes are made of lipids, the researchers wondered if the first cell membranes were made of lipids as well, and if so, how could they be derived from simple molecules? I wondered if it had developed as a result.
They also noted that modern cell membranes are complex and generally long chain-like. They suspected that early molecules may have had simpler membranes, and that they may have been made of short fatty acids.
To find out, the research team started with cysteine. Cysteine ​​is an amino acid previously identified that acts as a type of glue that holds precursor molecules together and was likely widespread in the early days of Earth’s formation.
They combined amino acids with short fatty acids of eight carbons. During binding, the molecules reacted to form a lipid with two tails. They also noticed that some of them self-formed into membrane-equipped spheres, which the researchers named protocells. Of course, the spheres didn’t contain any of the compounds found in living cells, but they could function as a stage of sorts.
The researchers also showed signs that the membranes of primitive cells were aligned in a bilayer, allowing the spheres to trap other molecules inside, allowing for the introduction of other components necessary for the development of life. I also confirmed that it is. Their protocells were tough enough to withstand the mixture of magnesium and calcium ions that were probably abundant on the early Earth.
According to the researchers, this study shows a possible means by which cell membranes developed on early Earth, allowing a path to the development of life.
Further information: Christy J. Cho et al, Protocells from spontaneous reactions of cysteine ​​and short-chain thioesters, Nature Chemistry (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41557-024-01666-y
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Citation: Biochemists create protocells and explore how lipids were connected to the first cell membranes (November 3, 2024) https://phys.org/news/2024-10-biochemists-protocells- Retrieved November 3, 2024 from explore-lipids-cell.html
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