The earliest enzymes are thought to have been composed of the limited amino acid repertoire available on prebiotic Earth. However, how such compositional simplicity shaped catalytic capability remains unclear.
ATP
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Without Oxygen: How Primordial Microbes Breathed
Animals, plants and many other living organisms inhale oxygen to “burn” (technically: oxidize) compounds like sugar into CO2 and water – a process during which the energy-rich molecule ATP is […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
New Insight Into Chloroplast Evolution
One of the most momentous events in the history of life involved endosymbiosis — a process by which one organism engulfed another and, instead of ingesting it, incorporated its DNA […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Insight Into One Of Life’s Earliest Ancestors Revealed In A New Study
An international team of researchers led by the University of Bristol has shed light on Earth’s earliest ecosystem, showing that within a few hundred million years of planetary formation, life […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
Ancient Nitrogenases Are ATP Dependent
Life depends on a conserved set of chemical energy currencies that are relics of early biochemistry. One of these is ATP, a molecule that, when paired with a divalent metal […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Uncovering A Multibillion-year Epic Written Into The Chemistry Of Life
The origin of life on Earth has long been a mystery that has eluded scientists. A key question is how much of the history of life on Earth is lost […]
Posted inAstropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Commercial & Private Sector, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
New Study Unveils RNA’s Role In Early Life And Future Bioengineering
The beginning of life on Earth and its evolution over billions of years continue to intrigue researchers worldwide. The central dogma or the directional flow of genetic information from a […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
GTP Before ATP: The Energy Currency At The Origin Of Genes
Life is an exergonic chemical reaction. Many individual reactions in metabolism entail slightly endergonic processes that are coupled to free energy release, typically as ATP hydrolysis, in order to go […]
![NifH2 cycle of Mo-nitrogenase. The NifH2 homodimer is shown in blue; it houses two nucleotide binding sites and a [4Fe-4S] redox active cluster. One catalytic half (NifDK) of the NifD2K2 heterotetramer is shown in yellow (K) and green (D); each catalytic half houses one [8Fe-7S] (Pcluster) and a [7Fe-9S-Mo-C-homocitrate] (FeMo-co) active site metallocluster. When NifH2 binds to NifDK an electron is transferred from the [4Fe-4S] cluster to FeMo-co mediated by P-cluster. NifH2 then hydrolyzes 2 ATP, dissociates with MgADP bound and an oxidized [4Fe4S] cluster. MgADP is then exchanged for MgATP and the [4Fe-4S] cluster is reduced, preparing NifH2 for binding and electron transfer. -- biorxiv.org](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/The-Origins-of-ATP.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Status Report
The Origins Of ATP Dependence In Biological Nitrogen Fixation
Life depends on a conserved set of chemical energy currencies that are relics of early biochemistry. One of these is ATP, a molecule that, when paired with a divalent metal […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release
Electricity Driving Life
When nature performs chemical reactions to create energy-rich compounds from simple molecules, it requires energy. So far, it has not been possible to use man-made electricity to drive these biochemical […]