Promotion of protocell self-assembly from mixed amphiphiles at the origin of life
Abstract
Vesicles formed from single-chain amphiphiles (SCAs) such as fatty acids probably played an important role in the origin of life. A major criticism of the hypothesis that life arose in an early ocean hydrothermal environment is that hot temperatures, large pH gradients, high salinity and abundant divalent cations should preclude vesicle formation. However, these arguments are based on model vesicles using 1-3 SCAs, even though Fischer-Tropsch-type synthesis under hydrothermal conditions produces a wide array of fatty acids and 1-alkanols, including abundant C 10-C 15 compounds. Here, we show that mixtures of these C 10-C 15 SCAs form vesicles in aqueous solutions between pH ~6.5 and >12 at modern seawater concentrations of NaCl, Mg 2+ and Ca 2+. Adding C 10 isoprenoids improves vesicle stability even further. Vesicles form most readily at temperatures of ~70 °C and require salinity and strongly alkaline conditions to self-assemble. Thus, alkaline hydrothermal conditions not only permit protocell formation at the origin of life but actively favour it.
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Using mixtures of amphiphiles of differing tail lengths or adding other types of amphiphiles such as isoprenoids can yield vesicles significantly more resistant to higher salinity and pH values.
“recent work shows that using mixtures of amphiphiles of differing tail lengths (Jordan et al. 2019b), or the addition of other types of amphiphiles such as isoprenoids (Jordan et al. 2019a)-a more realistic simulation of the 'dirty chemistry' world of prebiotic chemistry-can yield vesicles which are significantly more resistant to higher salinity and pH values.”
From The Emergence of Life (2019) · cites this paper as Jordan et al. 2019b
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- Authors
- Jordan, S. F., Rammu, H., Zheludev, I. N., Hartley, A. M., Maréchal, A., & Lane, N.
- Affiliations
- University College London (GB)
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Lane, Nick
- Venue
- Nature Ecology & Evolution
- Published
- 2019-11-04
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 1705-1714
- ISSN
- 2397-334X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2987783230
- Cited by
- 178
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2026: 25 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 34 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 5
- FWCI
- 10.68
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Nature Ecology & Evolution (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- BIROn (Birkbeck, University of London) (acceptedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- RCUK | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
- LIDo doctoral training programme
- RCUK | Medical Research Council (MR/M00936X/1)
- CDA Fellowship
- Research grant from bgc3 to Nick Lane
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Keywords
- origin of life, protocells, vesicle self-assembly, single-chain amphiphiles, fatty acids, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, hydrothermal vents, 1-alkanols, terpenoids, vesicle stability, pH tolerance, salinity
- MeSH terms
- Hot Temperature, Seawater, Temperature, Artificial Cells
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