Formation and Stability of Prebiotically Relevant Vesicular Systems in Terrestrial Geothermal Environments.

ABSTRACT: Terrestrial geothermal fields and oceanic hydrothermal vents are considered as candidate environments for the emergence of life on Earth. Nevertheless, the ionic strength and salinity of oceans present serious limitations for the self-assembly of amphiphiles, a process that is fundamental for the formation of first protocells. Consequently, we systematically characterized the efficiency of amphiphile assembly, and vesicular stability, in terrestrial geothermal environments, both, under simulated laboratory conditions and in hot spring water samples (collected from Ladakh, India, an Astrobiologically relevant site). Combinations of prebiotically pertinent fatty acids and their derivatives were evaluated for the formation of vesicles in aforesaid scenarios. Additionally, the stability of the

SUBMITTER: Joshi MP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5745564 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature