Rare Earth Elements – Of Peptides And The Origins Of Life
Elements from the group of rare earth metals are of great importance today, also in technical applications. The Bioinorganic Chemistry group at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) is conducting diverse research into these elements. The group has now published two studies in the scientific journal Angewandte Chemie (“Applied Chemistry”). One examines peptides, which can bind these elements, while the other highlights the potential role of the elements in the origins of life.
The group of rare earth elements (REEs) comprises a total of 17 elements, all of which possess similar chemical properties. In addition to the two lightest elements, scandium and yttrium, the group also includes lanthanum, cerium and neodymium, as well as the radioactive promethium.
The name of this group of elements is misleading as they are not rare on earth; rather, their deposits are distributed very unevenly worldwide, which makes them important in global political terms. REEs are needed for many high-tech applications – from smartphones and magnets (for example for wind turbines), to catalysts and optical components.
Graphical Abstract — Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf
Among other topics, the Bioinorganic Chemistry group of Professor Dr Lena Daumann, is examining how organisms can absorb rare earth elements. The aim is to potentially use these processes technically to extract the elements or recycle them from old devices.
In the study “Reversing Lanmodulin’s Metal-Binding Sequence in Short Peptides Surprisingly Increases the Lanthanide Affinity”, Daumann’s team – in collaboration with the Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) – is focusing on short-chain proteins (peptides) inspired by the REE-binding protein lanmodulin found in the bacterium Methylorubrum extorquens AM1. The new peptides synthesised in Düsseldorf display a strong binding affinity for this group of elements.
Dr Sophie M. Gutenthaler-Tietze, lead author of the study and postdoc at Daumann’s Institute: “The development of these short peptides actually originates from a synthesis error. We accidentally reversed the sequence of amino acids in the peptide compared with those in the natural protein lanmodulin. Interestingly, the peptides created in this way display an affinity for rare earth elements, which is one order of magnitude higher than their natural counterparts.”
Together with the colleagues from Dresden-Rossendorf, the researchers identified structural motifs, which are responsible for the high level of affinity. Daumann: “On this basis, we further optimised the affinity and were able to push it into the low nanomolar range. The examined peptides form an ideal basis for developing sustainable, bio-inspired recycling methods for rare earth elements. By reclaiming resources that have already been used, we are not only reducing the burden on the environment, but also increasing our raw material independence.”
The second study published in Angewandte Chemie, “Influence of Rare Earth Elements on Prebiotic Reaction Networks Resembling the Biologically Relevant Krebs Cycle”, focuses on an entirely different aspect of rare earth elements, namely their role in the emergence of the earliest life on earth.
More than 3.5 billion years ago on the abiotic earth, small organic building blocks began to react with each other under the right conditions. They formed increasingly complex structures, the precursors of biological macromolecules. It is highly likely that metals such as iron played a key role in this process as catalysts. To date, however, there has hardly been any consideration of the possibility that rare earth elements might also have been important in this process.
Lead author Dr Jonathan Gutenthaler-Tietze: “For the first time, we systematically examined whether these elements facilitate reactions in a prebiotic scenario. And rare earth elements can in fact moderate key chemical reactions. Starting with glyoxylate and pyruvate, two simple organic acids seen as potential starting materials for early life, we identified seven of eleven intermediates of the biological ‘Krebs cycle’ in the presence of the rare earth elements.” The Krebs cycle is a central component of the energy metabolism of all living creatures. The reactions formed a complex network with numerous connections.
Daumann: “The ionic radii of rare earth elements are key to their reactivity. We also noted that even very small concentrations are already sufficient to have a significant influence on the reaction network. The results thus bring a previously underestimated group of elements into the focus of prebiotic research.”
Original publication
- Sophie M. Gutenthaler-Tietze, Jerome Kretzschmar, Satoru Tsushima, Robin Steudtner, Björn Drobot, Lena J. Daumann; Reversing Lanmodulin’s Metal-Binding Sequence in Short Peptides Surprisingly Increases the Lanthanide Affinity; Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 64 (46), e202510453 (2025) DOI: 10.1002/anie.202510453 (open access)
- Jonathan Gutenthaler-Tietze, Carolina G. Heßler, Lena J. Daumann; Influence of Rare Earth Elements on Prebiotic Reaction Networks Resembling the Biologically Relevant Krebs Cycle; Angewandte Chemie International Edition; e16853 (2025) DOI: 10.1002/anie.202516853 (open access)
- Influence of Rare Earth Elements on Prebiotic Reaction Networks Resembling the Biologically Relevant Krebs Cycle, Nature Communications (open access)
Astrobiology,
