Progress in synthesizing protocells

Synthesis of imidazole-activated ribonucleotides using cyanogen chloride

(2018) Ruiqin Yi et al.   CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS

Aqueous magnesium as an environmental selection pressure in the evolution of phospholipid membranes on early earth

(2018) Punam Dalai et al.   GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA

Copying of Mixed-Sequence RNA Templates inside Model Protocells

(2018) Derek K. O’Flaherty et al.   JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Pulsatile Gating of Giant Vesicles Containing Macromolecular Crowding Agents Induced by Colligative Nonideality

(2018) Wan-Chih Su et al.   JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

A Light-Releasable Potentially Prebiotic Nucleotide Activating Agent

(2018) Angelica Mariani et al.   JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Amino-acid-encoded biocatalytic self-assembly enables the formation of transient conducting nanostructures

(2018) Mohit Kumar et al.   Nature Chemistry

Freeze-thaw cycles induce content exchange between cell-sized lipid vesicles

(2018) Thomas Litschel et al.   NEW JOURNAL OF PHYSICS

Assessing the diversity of lipids formed via Fischer-Tropsch-type reactions

(2018) Helge Mißbach et al.   ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY

Fatty Acid/Phospholipid Blended Membranes: A Potential Intermediate State in Protocellular Evolution

(2018) Lin Jin et al.   Small

Light-triggered enzymatic reactions in nested vesicle reactors

(2018) James W. Hindley et al.   Nature Communications

Linked cycles of oxidative decarboxylation of glyoxylate as protometabolic analogs of the citric acid cycle

(2018) Greg Springsteen et al.   Nature Communications

Structural absorption by barbule microstructures of super black bird of paradise feathers

(2018) Dakota E. McCoy et al.   Nature Communications

Native iron reduces CO2 to intermediates and end-products of the acetyl-CoA pathway

(2018) Sreejith J. Varma et al.   Nature Ecology & Evolution

Photochemical Control over Oscillations in Chemical Reaction Networks

(2017) Aleksandr A. Pogodaev et al.   JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Triggered Release from Lipid Bilayer Vesicles by an Artificial Transmembrane Signal Transduction System

(2017) Matthew J. Langton et al.   JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Enhanced Nonenzymatic RNA Copying with 2-Aminoimidazole Activated Nucleotides

(2017) Li Li et al.   JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Downstream Oligonucleotides Strongly Enhance the Affinity of GMP to RNA Primer–Template Complexes

(2017) Chun Pong Tam et al.   JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Simple peptides derived from the ribosomal core potentiate RNA polymerase ribozyme function

(2017) Shunsuke Tagami et al.   Nature Chemistry

Phosphorylation, oligomerization and self-assembly in water under potential prebiotic conditions

(2017) Clémentine Gibard et al.   Nature Chemistry

UV-light-driven prebiotic synthesis of iron–sulfur clusters

(2017) Claudia Bonfio et al.   Nature Chemistry

Catalytic diversity in self-propagating peptide assemblies

(2017) Tolulope O. Omosun et al.   Nature Chemistry

Microscopic agents programmed by DNA circuits

(2017) G. Gines et al.   Nature Nanotechnology

Expanding the informational chemistries of life: peptide/RNA networks

(2017) Olga Taran et al.   PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES

A trypsin-based bistable switch

(2017) Sjoerd G.J. Postma et al.   TETRAHEDRON

De novo vesicle formation and growth: an integrative approach to artificial cells

(2017) Ahanjit Bhattacharya et al.   Chemical Science

A minimal length rigid helical peptide motif allows rational design of modular surfactants

(2017) Sudipta Mondal et al.   Nature Communications

Emergence of native peptide sequences in prebiotic replication networks

(2017) Jayanta Nanda et al.   Nature Communications

Two-Way Chemical Communication between Artificial and Natural Cells

(2017) Roberta Lentini et al.   ACS Central Science

Metals promote sequences of the reverse Krebs cycle

(2017) Kamila B. Muchowska et al.   Nature Ecology & Evolution

Permeability-driven selection in a semi-empirical protocell model: the roots of prebiotic systems evolution

(2017) Gabriel Piedrafita et al.   Scientific Reports

Duplications of an iron–sulphur tripeptide leads to the formation of a protoferredoxin

(2016) Simone Scintilla et al.   CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS

Metal Catalysts and the Origin of Life

(2016) Luca Belmonte et al.   Elements

RNA-Based Coacervates as a Model for Membraneless Organelles: Formation, Properties, and Interfacial Liposome Assembly

(2016) William M. Aumiller et al.   LANGMUIR

Autocatalytic, bistable, oscillatory networks of biologically relevant organic reactions

(2016) Sergey N. Semenov et al.   NATURE

Dissipative self-assembly of vesicular nanoreactors

(2016) Subhabrata Maiti et al.   Nature Chemistry

A prebiotically plausible synthesis of pyrimidine β-ribonucleosides and their phosphate derivatives involving photoanomerization

(2016) Jianfeng Xu et al.   Nature Chemistry

Cysteine containing dipeptides show a metal specificity that matches the composition of seawater

(2016) Luca Belmonte et al.   PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS

Prebiotic synthesis of nucleic acids and their building blocks at the atomic level – merging models and mechanisms from advanced computations and experiments

(2016) Judit E. Šponer et al.   PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS

On the lack of evolutionary continuity between prebiotic peptides and extant enzymes

(2016) Luciana Raggi et al.   PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS

Sunlight as an energetic driver in the synthesis of molecules necessary for life

(2016) Rebecca J. Rapf et al.   PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS

Amplification of RNA by an RNA polymerase ribozyme

(2016) David P. Horning et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Light-activated communication in synthetic tissues

(2016) M. J. Booth et al.   Science Advances

Conditional iron and pH-dependent activity of a non-enzymatic glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway

(2016) M. A. Keller et al.   Science Advances

Ester-Mediated Amide Bond Formation Driven by Wet-Dry Cycles: A Possible Path to Polypeptides on the Prebiotic Earth

(2015) Jay G. Forsythe et al.   ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION

Freeze–thaw cycles as drivers of complex ribozyme assembly

(2015) Hannes Mutschler et al.   Nature Chemistry

Common origins of RNA, protein and lipid precursors in a cyanosulfidic protometabolism

(2015) Bhavesh H. Patel et al.   Nature Chemistry

Phosphorylation-mediated RNA/peptide complex coacervation as a model for intracellular liquid organelles

(2015) William M. Aumiller et al.   Nature Chemistry

Rational design of functional and tunable oscillating enzymatic networks

(2015) Sergey N. Semenov et al.   Nature Chemistry

The PURE system for the cell-free synthesis of membrane proteins

(2015) Yutetsu Kuruma et al.   Nature Protocols

Sustainable proliferation of liposomes compatible with inner RNA replication

(2015) Gakushi Tsuji et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A recursive vesicle-based model protocell with a primitive model cell cycle

(2015) Kensuke Kurihara et al.   Nature Communications

A vocabulary of ancient peptides at the origin of folded proteins

(2015) Vikram Alva et al.   eLife

Progress Toward Synthetic Cells

(2014) J. Craig Blain et al.   Annual Review of Biochemistry

Chain-Length Heterogeneity Allows for the Assembly of Fatty Acid Vesicles in Dilute Solutions

(2014) Itay Budin et al.   BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL

Membrane protein synthesis in cell-free systems: From bio-mimetic systems to bio-membranes

(2014) Rita Sachse et al.   FEBS LETTERS

Ester Formation and Hydrolysis during Wet–Dry Cycles: Generation of Far-from-Equilibrium Polymers in a Model Prebiotic Reaction

(2014) Irena Mamajanov et al.   MACROMOLECULES

Non-enzymatic glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway-like reactions in a plausible Archean ocean

(2014) M. A. Keller et al.   Molecular Systems Biology

A cross-chiral RNA polymerase ribozyme

(2014) Jonathan T. Sczepanski et al.   NATURE

Fatty acid membrane assembly on coacervate microdroplets as a step towards a hybrid protocell model

(2014) T-Y. Dora Tang et al.   Nature Chemistry

Exploring the sequence space for (tri-)peptide self-assembly to design and discover new hydrogels

(2014) Pim W. J. M. Frederix et al.   Nature Chemistry

Physical autocatalysis driven by a bond-forming thiol–ene reaction

(2014) Andrew J. Bissette et al.   Nature Communications

Vesicle-based artificial cells as chemical microreactors with spatially segregated reaction pathways

(2014) Yuval Elani et al.   Nature Communications

Prebiotic Systems Chemistry: New Perspectives for the Origins of Life

(2013) Kepa Ruiz-Mirazo et al.   CHEMICAL REVIEWS

The Origin of RNA and “My Grandfather’s Axe”

(2013) Nicholas V. Hud et al.   CHEMISTRY & BIOLOGY

Photochemistry of 2-Aminooxazole, a Hypothetical Prebiotic Precursor of RNA Nucleotides

(2013) Rafał Szabla et al.   Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters

In-ice evolution of RNA polymerase ribozyme activity

(2013) James Attwater et al.   Nature Chemistry

Adenosine Monophosphate Forms Ordered Arrays in Multilamellar Lipid Matrices: Insights into Assembly of Nucleic Acid for Primitive Life

(2013) Laura Toppozini et al.   PLoS One

Nucleobases bind to and stabilize aggregates of a prebiotic amphiphile, providing a viable mechanism for the emergence of protocells

(2013) R. A. Black et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Liposome division by a simple bacterial division machinery

(2013) M. Osawa et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Darwinian evolution in a translation-coupled RNA replication system within a cell-like compartment

(2013) Norikazu Ichihashi et al.   Nature Communications

The Structure of Autocatalytic Sets: Evolvability, Enablement, and Emergence

(2012) Wim Hordijk et al.   ACTA BIOTHEORETICA

Formation of RNA Phosphodiester Bond by Histidine-Containing Dipeptides

(2012) Rafał Wieczorek et al.   CHEMBIOCHEM

Understanding prebiotic chemistry through the analysis of extraterrestrial amino acids and nucleobases in meteorites

(2012) Aaron S. Burton et al.   CHEMICAL SOCIETY REVIEWS

Concentration-Driven Growth of Model Protocell Membranes

(2012) Itay Budin et al.   JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Spontaneous network formation among cooperative RNA replicators

(2012) Nilesh Vaidya et al.   NATURE

Photochemically driven redox chemistry induces protocell membrane pearling and division

(2012) T. F. Zhu et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Coupling of the fusion and budding of giant phospholipid vesicles containing macromolecules

(2012) H. Terasawa et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Nucleic Acid Based Molecular Devices

(2011) Yamuna Krishnan et al.   ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION

Functional analysis of membranous Fo-asubunit of F1Fo-ATP synthase byin vitroprotein synthesis

(2011) Yutetsu Kuruma et al.   BIOCHEMICAL JOURNAL

Catalyzed and Spontaneous Reactions on Ribozyme Ribose

(2011) Rebecca M. Turk et al.   JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Self-reproduction of supramolecular giant vesicles combined with the amplification of encapsulated DNA

(2011) Kensuke Kurihara et al.   Nature Chemistry

The RNA origin of transfer RNA aminoacylation and beyond

(2011) H. Suga et al.   PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Physical effects underlying the transition from primitive to modern cell membranes

(2011) I. Budin et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Primordial synthesis of amines and amino acids in a 1958 Miller H2S-rich spark discharge experiment

(2011) E. T. Parker et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Ribozyme-Catalyzed Transcription of an Active Ribozyme

(2011) A. Wochner et al.   SCIENCE

Prebiotically relevant mixed fatty acid vesicles support anionic solute encapsulation and photochemically catalyzed trans-membrane charge transport

(2011) Jonathan L. Cape et al.   Chemical Science

Multiple translational products from a five-nucleotide ribozyme

(2010) R. M. Turk et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Mechanosensitive Self-Replication Driven by Self-Organization

(2010) J. M. A. Carnall et al.   SCIENCE

The Organic Composition of Carbonaceous Meteorites: The Evolutionary Story Ahead of Biochemistry

(2010) S. Pizzarello et al.   Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology

Synthesis of proline-derived dipeptides and their catalytic enantioselective direct aldol reactions: catalyst, solvent, additive and temperature effects

(2009) Y.-H. Chen et al.   AMINO ACIDS

Chemical Evolution of Amphiphiles: Glycerol Monoacyl Derivatives Stabilize Plausible Prebiotic Membranes

(2009) S.E. Maurer et al.   ASTROBIOLOGY

Coupled Growth and Division of Model Protocell Membranes

(2009) Ting F. Zhu et al.   JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Synthesis of activated pyrimidine ribonucleotides in prebiotically plausible conditions

(2009) Matthew W. Powner et al.   NATURE

Eutectic Phase in Water-Ice: A Self-Assembled Environment Conducive to Metal-Catalyzed Non-Enzymatic RNA Polymerization

(2008) Pierre-Alain Monnard et al.   CHEMISTRY & BIODIVERSITY

Ser-His catalyses the formation of peptides and PNAs

(2008) Maçha Gorlero et al.   FEBS LETTERS

Oxaloacetate-to-malate conversion by mineral photoelectrochemistry: implications for the viability of the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle in prebiotic chemistry

(2008) Marcelo I. Guzman et al.   International Journal of Astrobiology

Droplet interface bilayers

(2008) Hagan Bayley et al.   Molecular BioSystems

Structural basis of specific tRNA aminoacylation by a small in vitro selected ribozyme

(2008) Hong Xiao et al.   NATURE

Template-directed synthesis of a genetic polymer in a model protocell

(2008) Sheref S. Mansy et al.   NATURE

Stability of Model Membranes in Extreme Environments

(2008) Trishool Namani et al.   ORIGINS OF LIFE AND EVOLUTION OF BIOSPHERES

Thermostability of model protocell membranes

(2008) S. S. Mansy et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The Implausibility of Metabolic Cycles on the Prebiotic Earth

(2008) Leslie E Orgel   PLOS BIOLOGY