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Cited by 83Origins and Evolution of LifeEvolution and Genetic DynamicsRNA and protein synthesis mechanisms

The Molecular Roots of Compositional Inheritance

SEGRÉ, DANIEL, SHENHAV, BARAK, KAFRI, RON, LANCET, DORON·2001·Journal of Theoretical Biology
DOI 10.1006/jtbi.2001.2440
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Abstract

Non-covalent compositional assemblies, made of monomeric mutually catalytic molecules, constitute an alternative to alphabet-based informational biopolymers as a mechanism of primordial inheritance. Such assemblies appear implicitly in many "Metabolism First" origin of life scenarios, and more explicitly in the Graded Autocatalysis Replication Domain (GARD) model [Segréet al. (2000). Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. U.S.A.97, 4112-4117]. In the present work, we provide a detailed analysis of the quantitative molecular roots of such behavior. It is demonstrated that the fidelity of reproduction provided by a newly defined heritability measure eta(*)(s), strongly depends on the values of molecular recognition parameters and on assembly size. We find that if the catalytic rate acceleration coefficients are distributed normally, transfer of compositional information becomes impossible, due to frequent "compositional error catastrophes". In contrast, if the catalytic acceleration rates obey a lognormal distribution, as actually predicted by a statistical formalism for molecular repertoires, high reproduction fidelity is obtained. There is also a clear dependence on assembly size N, whereby maximal eta is seen in a narrow range around N approximately 3.5 N(G)/lambda, where N(G)is the size of the primordial molecular repertoire and lambda is a molecular interaction statistical parameter. Such relationships help define the physicochemical conditions that could underlie the early steps in pre-biotic evolution.

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  • GARD analyses reveal a capacity for homeostatic growth, which results in and is a prerequisite for compositional inheritance.

    “Our published analyses of the ensuing dynamic behaviour of GARD clearly reveal a capacity for homeostatic growth, which is shown to result in, and be a prerequisite for compositional inheritance [54,56].”

    From Systems protobiology: origin of life in lipid catalytic networks (2018) · cites this paper as [56]

  • Changing the parameters of the lognormal distribution may lead to drastically different behaviours, ranging from high heritability to a state in which most assemblies undergo random split without information transfer.

    “Further, even just changing the parameters of the lognormal distribution may lead to drastically different behaviours, ranging from high heritability, to a state in which most assemblies undergo random split without information transfer [56].”

    From Systems protobiology: origin of life in lipid catalytic networks (2018) · cites this paper as [56]

  • If the distribution used is normal rather than the experimentally faithful lognormal, compositional inheritance is hardly observed.

    “Thus, if the distribution used is normal rather than the experimentally faithful lognormal distribution, compositional inheritance is hardly observed [56].”

    From Systems protobiology: origin of life in lipid catalytic networks (2018) · cites this paper as [56]

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Authors
SEGRÉ, D., SHENHAV, B., KAFRI, R., & LANCET, D.
Affiliations
Weizmann Institute of Science (IL)
Corresponding author
LANCET, DORON
ORCID
LANCET, DORON
Venue
Journal of Theoretical Biology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2001-12
Volume
213
Issue
3
Pages
481-491
ISSN
0022-5193 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1006/jtbi.2001.2440
OpenAlex
W2039890232
Cited by
82
References
66
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 4
FWCI
1.99
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Journal of Theoretical Biology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
Keywords
origin of life, metabolism-first hypothesis, autocatalytic sets, lognormal distribution, assembly size, molecular recognition, prebiotic evolution
MeSH terms
Animals, Catalysis, Models, Genetic, Nucleic Acids, Reproduction, Evolution, Molecular, Multifactorial Inheritance

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