Evolution before genes
Open accessAbstract
Background: Our current understanding of evolution is so tightly linked to template-dependent replication of DNA and RNA molecules that the old idea from Oparin of a self-reproducing 'garbage bag' ('coacervate') of chemicals that predated fully-fledged cell-like entities seems to be farfetched to most scientists today. However, this is exactly the kind of scheme we propose for how Darwinian evolution could have occurred prior to template replication. Results: We cannot confirm previous claims that autocatalytic sets of organic polymer molecules could undergo evolution in any interesting sense by themselves. While we and others have previously imagined inhibition would result in selectability, we found that it produced multiple attractors in an autocatalytic set that cannot be selected for. Instead, we discovered that if general conditions are satisfied, the accumulation of adaptations in chemical reaction networks can occur. These conditions are the existence of rare reactions producing viable cores (analogous to a genotype), that sustains a molecular periphery (analogous to a phenotype). Conclusions: We conclude that only when a chemical reaction network consists of many such viable cores, can it be evolvable. When many cores are enclosed in a compartment there is competition between cores within the same compartment, and when there are many compartments, there is between-compartment competition due to the phenotypic effects of cores and their periphery at the compartment level. Acquisition of cores by rare chemical events, and loss of cores at division, allows macromutation, limited heredity and selectability, thus explaining how a poor man's natural selection could have operated prior to genetic templates. This is the only demonstration to date of a mechanism by which pre-template accumulation of adaptation could occur. Reviewers: This article was reviewed by William Martin and Eugene Koonin.
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Support for the evolvability of composomes can be inferred from a paper on evolution before genes.
“Support for the evolvability of composomes can be inferred from a paper on evolution before genes [74, p. 2].”
From Systems protobiology: origin of life in lipid catalytic networks (2018) · cites this paper as [74]
The Conclusions (page not supplied in our copy) say that lipid-world models, including GARD, have not demonstrated evolvability. Rather than supporting the evolvability of composomes, the paper argues that GARD’s restricted chemistry prevents the open-ended variation needed for evolution. (LLM, conf=0.89)
Checked by a reasoning model — may be wrong.
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredWith a lower limit for discernible catalysis, in a randomly defined set of compounds, only certain subsets may show catalytic closure.
“Then, in a randomly defined set of compounds, only certain subsets may show catalytic closure [73,74].”
From Systems protobiology: origin of life in lipid catalytic networks (2018) · cites this paper as [74]
Physiological constraints on early RNA-based life may have been more stringent than those observed for individual RNA systems today.
“Since life in an RNA world is inferred to rely on RNA for so many additional functions, such as replication, catalysis, and perhaps even structure (Bernhardt 2012), physiological constraints may have been even more stringent than what is observed for individual RNA systems today.”
From Environmental Adaptation from the Origin of Life to the Last Universal Common Ancestor (2018) · cites this paper as Bernhardt 2012
Without evidence for a pre-RNA system or additional transitions, the uniformitarian hypothesis of a primordial RNA-based earliest life remains the most compelling.
“In either case, without evidence for such a pre-RNA system or such additional transitions, the simper, uniformitarian hypothesis of a primordial RNA-based earliest life remains the most compelling (Bernhardt 2012).”
From Environmental Adaptation from the Origin of Life to the Last Universal Common Ancestor (2018) · cites this paper as Bernhardt 2012
In the RNA world, RNA served as both the molecule of inheritance and the primary catalyst for biological reactions.
“In the RNA world, RNA formed both the molecule of inheritance and the primary catalyst for biological reactions (Bernhardt 2012;Moulton et al. 2000).”
From Environmental Adaptation from the Origin of Life to the Last Universal Common Ancestor (2018) · cites this paper as Bernhardt 2012
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- Authors
- Vasas, V., Fernando, C., Santos, M., Kauffman, S., & Szathmáry, E.
- Affiliations
- Eötvös Loránd University (HU)
- University of London (GB)
- University of Calgary (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Szathmáry, Eörs
- Venue
- Biology Direct
- Published
- 2012-01-05
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1; discussion 1-1; discussion 1
- ISSN
- 1745-6150 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3284417
- OpenAlex
- W2101887349
- Cited by
- 369
- References
- 50
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 46 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 14.16
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Biology Direct (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Repository of the Academy's Library (Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- ELTE Digital Institutional Repository (EDIT) (Eötvös Loránd University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- European Commission (225167)
- Generalitat de Catalunya (2009SGR, 2009SGR 636)
- Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (NK73047)
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats
- Nemzeti Kutatási és Technológiai Hivatal (KCKHA005, NAP 2005/KCKHA005)
- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
- 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
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Philosophy and History of Science
- Keywords
- origin of life, autocatalytic sets, chemical reaction networks, coacervates, compartmentalization, macromutation, heredity (biology), natural selection
- MeSH terms
- Origin of Life, Adaptation, Biological, Computer Simulation, Biological Evolution, Genes, Genotype, Models, Chemical, Mutation, Phenotype, Polymers, Selection, Genetic, Templates, Genetic, Biocatalysis
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