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Cited by 28Origins and Evolution of LifeEvolution and Genetic DynamicsRNA and protein synthesis mechanisms

Spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in early molecular networks

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Kafri, Ran, Markovitch, Omer, Lancet, Doron·2010·Biology Direct
DOI 10.1186/1745-6150-5-38PMC PMC2894767
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Abstract

Background: An important facet of early biological evolution is the selection of chiral enantiomers for molecules such as amino acids and sugars. The origin of this symmetry breaking is a long-standing question in molecular evolution. Previous models addressing this question include particular kinetic properties such as autocatalysis or negative cross catalysis. Results: We propose here a more general kinetic formalism for early enantioselection, based on our previously described Graded Autocatalysis Replication Domain (GARD) model for prebiotic evolution in molecular assemblies. This model is adapted here to the case of chiral molecules by applying symmetry constraints to mutual molecular recognition within the assembly. The ensuing dynamics shows spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking, with transitions towards stationary compositional states (composomes) enriched with one of the two enantiomers for some of the constituent molecule types. Furthermore, one or the other of the two antipodal compositional states of the assembly also shows time-dependent selection. Conclusion: It follows that chiral selection may be an emergent consequence of early catalytic molecular networks rather than a prerequisite for the initiation of primeval life processes. Elaborations of this model could help explain the prevalent chiral homogeneity in present-day living cells. Reviewers: This article was reviewed by Boris Rubinstein (nominated by Arcady Mushegian), Arcady Mushegian, Meir Lahav (nominated by Yitzhak Pilpel) and Sergei Maslov.

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  • This phenomenon is traced down to the fact that some optical isomers may be completely absent under the small number statistics of a particular seeded assembly, leading to mutual catalysis-mediated symmetry breaking in chiral GARD.

    “This phenomenon is traced down to the fact that some optical isomers may be completely absent under the small number statistics of a particular seeded assembly, leading to mutual catalysis-mediated symmetry breaking in chiral GARD [123].”

    From Systems protobiology: origin of life in lipid catalytic networks (2018) · cites this paper as [123]

    The Results (‘Chiral compositional dynamics shows enantiomeric selection’; page unavailable) report enantiomer excess from low-copy-number fluctuations, while the Discussion (‘Multi-component kinetic enantioselection’; page unavailable) says mutual pairwise catalysis could contribute to enantioselection. But the paper distinguishes the statistical excess from dynamic enantioselection; it does not trace catalysis-mediated symmetry breaking to optical isomers being completely absent from a particular seeded assembly. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Authors
Kafri, R., Markovitch, O., & Lancet, D.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Weizmann Institute of Science (IL)
Corresponding author
Lancet, Doron
ORCID
Venue
Biology Direct
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2010-05-27
Volume
5
Issue
1
Pages
38-38
ISSN
1745-6150 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/1745-6150-5-38
PMC
PMC2894767
OpenAlex
W2120241482
Cited by
28
References
97
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 1
FWCI
0.71
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Biology Direct (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
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
chiral symmetry breaking, enantioselectivity, origin of life, prebiotic evolution, autocatalysis, molecular assembly
MeSH terms
Origin of Life, Models, Theoretical, Stereoisomerism, Evolution, Molecular

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