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The First Cell Membranes
Abstract
Organic compounds are synthesized in the interstellar medium and can be delivered to planetary surfaces such as the early Earth, where they mix with endogenous species. Some of these compounds are amphiphilic, having polar and nonpolar groups on the same molecule. Amphiphilic compounds spontaneously self-assemble into more complex structures such as bimolecular layers, which in turn form closed membranous vesicles. The first forms of cellular life required self-assembled membranes that were likely to have been produced from amphiphilic compounds on the prebiotic Earth. Laboratory simulations show that such vesicles readily encapsulate functional macromolecules, including nucleic acids and polymerases. The goal of future investigations will be to fabricate artificial cells as models of the origin of life.
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“The basic constituents of RNA molecules, such as D-ribose, phosphate, and the four bases—adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and uracil (U), along with unused nucleotides, were delivered to the hydrothermal crater lake by meteorites [2,3,4].”
From The Origin of Prebiotic Information System in the Peptide/RNA World: A Simulation Model of the Evolution of Translation and the Genetic Code (2019) · cites this paper as [3]
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BackgroundThe Coevolutionary Roots of Biochemistry and Cellular Organization Challenge the RNA World Paradigm
Caetano‐Anollés, G., & Seufferheld, M. J. (2013) · Microbial Physiology · doi:10.1159/000346551 · Cited by 51
“Finally, the ‘chemoton’ of Timor Ganti and the work of Luigi Luisi and David Deamer [Deamer et al., 2002; Ganti, 2003; Luisi, 1996] pioneered a focus on the ‘containers’ of life and a ‘lipid world’.”
BackgroundTerrabacteria: redefining bacterial envelope diversity, biogenesis and evolution
Beaud, B., Taïb, N., Beloin, C., & Gribaldo, S. (2024) · Nature Reviews Microbiology · doi:10.1038/s41579-024-01088-0 · Cited by 46
“Building upon previous studies, it is likely that the first cells started with a single membrane 164,165 , which we refer to as the proto membrane and would have already harboured active translocation of proteins, active transporters and GPL synthesis (Fig.”
Cohen, Z. R., Todd, Z. R., Wogan, N. F., Black, R. A., Keller, S. L., & Catling, D. C. (2022) · ACS Earth and Space Chemistry · doi:10.1021/acsearthspacechem.2c00168 · Cited by 44
Origin of Evolution versus Origin of Life: A Shift of Paradigm
Tessera, M. (2011) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms12063445 · Cited by 41
“Experiments have shown that bilayers formed of simple amphiphiles are extremely fragile: high pH, ionic strength, high temperatures (even 45 C) will destroy them [35,36].”
BackgroundThomas, J. A., & Rana, F. R. (2007) · Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres · doi:10.1007/s11084-007-9065-6 · Cited by 39
“Deamer et al. (2002) have concluded that it is improbable that phospholipids were available on the prebiotic Earth.”
BackgroundInfluentialWhat is Life? Defining Life in the Context of Emergent Complexity
Weber, B. H. (2010) · Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres · doi:10.1007/s11084-010-9203-4 · Cited by 40
“Protocell + nutrients + energy > protocells + waste + heat (entropy) (see summary in Deamer et al. 2002 and in Morowitz 1992).”
BackgroundIn the Beginning was a Mutualism - On the Origin of Translation
Vitas, M., & Dobovišek, A. (2018) · Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres · doi:10.1007/s11084-018-9557-6 · Cited by 37
Armenta‐Medina, D., Segovia, L., & Pérez‐Rueda, E. (2014) · BMC Genomics · doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-800 · Cited by 42
Cholesterol modulates membrane elasticity via unified biophysical laws
Kumarage, T., Gupta, S., Morris, N. B., Doole, F. T., Scott, H. L., Stingaciu, L. R., Pingali, S. V., Katsaras, J., Khelashvili, G., Doktorova, M., et al. (2025) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-025-62106-0 · Cited by 40
Meteoritic abundances of fatty acids and potential reaction pathways in planetesimals
Lai, J. C.-Y., Pearce, B. K. D., Pudritz, R. E., & Lee, D. (2018) · Icarus · doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2018.09.028 · Cited by 41
Oligomerization of Thioglutamic Acid: Encapsulated Reactions and Lipid Catalysis
Zepik, H. H., Rajamani, S., Maurel, M.-C., & Deamer, D. (2007) · Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres · doi:10.1007/s11084-007-9070-9 · Cited by 37
“More plausible are lipid-like species of long chain monocarboxlic acids and alcohols, and perhaps fatty acid esters, all of which form membranous vesicles in aqueous media (Deamer et al. 2002).”
BackgroundSelf-citationAponte, J. C., Tarozo, R., Alexandre, M. R., Alexander, C. M. O., Charnley, S. B., Hallmann, C., Summons, R. E., & Huang, Y. (2014) · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · doi:10.1016/j.gca.2014.01.035 · Cited by 32
Directed Growth of Biomimetic Microcompartments
Ivanov, I. B., Lira, R. B., Tang, T. ‐. D., Franzmann, T. M., Kłosin, A., da Silva, L. C., Hyman, A. A., Landfester, K., Lipowsky, R., Sundmacher, K., et al. (2019) · Advanced Biosystems · doi:10.1002/adbi.201800314 · Cited by 39
The Cosmic Zoo: The (Near) Inevitability of the Evolution of Complex, Macroscopic Life
Bains, W., & Schulze‐Makuch, D. (2016) · Life · doi:10.3390/life6030025 · Cited by 37
“A range of experiments shows some limited patterned replication of proteinoids, nucleic acid-like molecules, and larger structures such as miscelles in completely abiological systems [61,62].”
BackgroundPumice from the ∼3460Ma Apex Basalt, Western Australia: A natural laboratory for the early biosphere
Brasier, M. D., Matthewman, R., McMahon, S., Kilburn, M. R., & Wacey, D. (2012) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2012.09.008 · Cited by 35
Chatzimichail, S., Rahimi, F., Saifuddin, A., Surman, A. J., Taylor-Robinson, S. D., & Salehi‐Reyhani, A. (2021) · Communications Chemistry · doi:10.1038/s42004-021-00457-7 · Cited by 43
Cyclophospholipids Increase Protocellular Stability to Metal Ions.
Toparlak, Ö. D., Karki, M., Ortuno, V. E., Krishnamurthy, R., & Mansy, S. (2019) · Small · doi:10.26434/chemrxiv.8312120.v1 · Cited by 33
Compound‐specific carbon isotope compositions of aldehydes and ketones in the Murchison meteorite
Simkus, D., Aponte, J., Hilts, R., Elsila, J., & Herd, C. (2018) · Meteoritics and Planetary Science · doi:10.1111/maps.13202 · Cited by 33
“1968), the chemical building blocks of biological membranes (Deamer et al. 2002).”
BackgroundSteps Towards the Formation of A Protocell: The Possible Role of Short Peptides
Fishkis, M. (2007) · Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres · doi:10.1007/s11084-007-9111-4 · Cited by 38
“In addition to polypeptides, a variety of other amphiphilic molecules including fatty acids and fatty alcohols could have been components of prebiotic membranes (Deamer 1997; Deamer et al. 2002).”
BackgroundLingam, M., & Loeb, A. (2018) · International Journal of Astrobiology · doi:10.1017/s1473550418000083 · Cited by 42
“Hence, although both these processes appear to be likely in the ice envelope, several other requirements – such as the self-assembly of amphiphilic compounds into vesicles (Deamer et al., 2002; Schrum et al., 2010) – must also be fulfilled.”
BackgroundThe Cell as the First Niche Construction
Torday, J. S. (2016) · Biology · doi:10.3390/biology5020019 · Cited by 61
“The formation of micelles from the lipids contained within the asteroids that struck the nascent Earth to form the oceans [8] may have provided the first niche in which chemiosmosis [9] provided the internal environment for negentropy [10], circumventing the Second Law of Thermodynamics, perpetuating life under the au…”
BackgroundHazen, R. M., & Deamer, D. W. (2006) · Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres · doi:10.1007/s11084-006-9027-4 · Cited by 28
“These and other authors (Morowitz et al. 1988; Luisi and Varela 1989; Morowitz 1992; Dobson et al. 2000; Segre et al. 2001; Deamer et al. 2002) argue that amphiphile synthesis and selfassembly are key steps in the origin of boundary membranes that would be required for the origin of cellular life.”
BackgroundSelf-citationElectrostatic effects on deposition of multiple phospholipid bilayers at oxide surfaces
Oleson, T. A., Sahai, N., & Pedersen, J. A. (2010) · Journal of Colloid and Interface Science · doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2010.08.057 · Cited by 30
Koch, A. L., & Silver, S. D. (2005) · Advances in microbial physiology/Advances in Microbial Physiology · doi:10.1016/s0065-2911(05)50006-7 · Cited by 22
Vesicle Encapsulation of a Nonbiological Photochemical System Capable of Reducing NAD+ to NADH
Summers, D. P., & Rodoni, D. (2015) · Langmuir · doi:10.1021/la502003j · Cited by 29
Chemical self-organization in self-assembling biomimetic systems
Rossi, F., & Liveri, M. (2009) · doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2009.04.040 · Cited by 29
Bywater, R. P., & Conde‐Frieboes, K. W. (2005) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2005.5.568 · Cited by 27
Purvis, G., Šiller, L., Crosskey, A., Vincent, J., Wills, C., Sheriff, J., Xavier, C. M., & Telling, J. P. (2024) · Communications Earth & Environment · doi:10.1038/s43247-023-01196-4 · Cited by 40
RetractedOn the Biogenic Origins of Homochirality
Sojo, V. (2015) · Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres · doi:10.1007/s11084-015-9422-9 · Cited by 32
Todd, Z. R., Cohen, Z. R., Catling, D. C., Keller, S. L., & Black, R. A. (2022) · Langmuir · doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02118 · Cited by 27
Yeşiltaş, M., Glotch, T., & Sava, B. (2021) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-021-91200-8 · Cited by 24
Aponte, J. C., Woodward, H. K., Abreu, N. M., Elsila, J. E., & Dworkin, J. P. (2018) · Meteoritics and Planetary Science · doi:10.1111/maps.13216 · Cited by 28
Self-citationQuan, X., Guo, K., Wang, Y.-Q., Huang, L.-L., Chen, B., Ye, Z., & Luo, Z.-J. (2014) · Bioscience, biotechnology and biochemistry · doi:10.1080/09168451.2014.932664 · Cited by 24
Astrobiology, space and the future age of discovery
Blumberg, B. (2011) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences · doi:10.1098/rsta.2010.0239 · Cited by 24
Summers, D. P., Noveron, J., & Basa, R. C. B. (2009) · Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres · doi:10.1007/s11084-009-9160-y · Cited by 27
Terrestrial Analysis of the Organic Component of Comet Dust
Sandford, S. A. (2008) · Annual Review of Analytical Chemistry · doi:10.1146/annurev.anchem.1.031207.113108 · Cited by 25
Self-citationBiomimetic separations – learning from the early development of biological membranes
Bowen, W. (2006) · doi:10.1016/j.desal.2006.03.053 · Cited by 24
Metadata
- Authors
- Deamer, D., Dworkin, J. P., Sandford, S. A., Bernstein, M. P., & Allamandola, L. J.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Santa Cruz (US)
- Ames Research Center (US)
- Venue
- Astrobiology
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2002-12
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 371-381
- ISSN
- 1531-1074 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-8070
- OpenAlex
- W1998228944
- Cited by
- 270
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 14
- FWCI
- 0.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Astrobiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Keywords
- origin of life, plasma membrane, amphiphilic molecules, self-assembly, membrane vesicles, prebiotic chemistry, interstellar medium, early Earth, nucleic acid encapsulation, artificial cells
- MeSH terms
- Origin of Life, Cell Membrane, Cells, Biological Evolution, Extraterrestrial Environment, Models, Biological, Earth, Planet, Exobiology
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