Crude phosphorylation mixtures containing racemic lipid amphiphiles self-assemble to give stable primitive compartments.

ABSTRACT: It is an open question how the chemical structure of prebiotic vesicle-forming amphiphiles complexified to produce robust primitive compartments that could safely host foreign molecules. Previous work suggests that comparingly labile vesicles composed of plausibly prebiotic fatty acids were eventually chemically transformed with glycerol and a suitable phosphate source into phospholipids that would form robust vesicles. Here we show that phosphatidic acid (PA) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) lipids can be obtained from racemic dioleoyl glycerol under plausibly prebiotic phosphorylation conditions. Upon in situ hydration of the crude phosphorylation mixtures only those that contained rac-DOPA (not rac-DOPE) generated stable giant vesicles that were capable of encapsulating water-soluble p

SUBMITTER: Fayolle D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5741756 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature