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Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life

Serpentinization in hydrothermal vents is central to some autotrophic theories for the origin of life because it generates compartments, reductants, catalysts and gradients. During the process of serpentinization, water circulates through hydrothermal systems in the crust where it oxidizes Fe (II) i...

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Autores principales: Schwander, Loraine, Brabender, Max, Mrnjavac, Natalia, Wimmer, Jessica L. E., Preiner, Martina, Martin, William F.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10581274/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37854333
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1257597
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author Schwander, Loraine
Brabender, Max
Mrnjavac, Natalia
Wimmer, Jessica L. E.
Preiner, Martina
Martin, William F.
author_facet Schwander, Loraine
Brabender, Max
Mrnjavac, Natalia
Wimmer, Jessica L. E.
Preiner, Martina
Martin, William F.
author_sort Schwander, Loraine
collection PubMed
description Serpentinization in hydrothermal vents is central to some autotrophic theories for the origin of life because it generates compartments, reductants, catalysts and gradients. During the process of serpentinization, water circulates through hydrothermal systems in the crust where it oxidizes Fe (II) in ultramafic minerals to generate Fe (III) minerals and H(2). Molecular hydrogen can, in turn, serve as a freely diffusible source of electrons for the reduction of CO(2) to organic compounds, provided that suitable catalysts are present. Using catalysts that are naturally synthesized in hydrothermal vents during serpentinization H(2) reduces CO(2) to formate, acetate, pyruvate, and methane. These compounds represent the backbone of microbial carbon and energy metabolism in acetogens and methanogens, strictly anaerobic chemolithoautotrophs that use the acetyl-CoA pathway of CO(2) fixation and that inhabit serpentinizing environments today. Serpentinization generates reduced carbon, nitrogen and — as newer findings suggest — reduced phosphorous compounds that were likely conducive to the origins process. In addition, it gives rise to inorganic microcompartments and proton gradients of the right polarity and of sufficient magnitude to support chemiosmotic ATP synthesis by the rotor-stator ATP synthase. This would help to explain why the principle of chemiosmotic energy harnessing is more conserved (older) than the machinery to generate ion gradients via pumping coupled to exergonic chemical reactions, which in the case of acetogens and methanogens involve H(2)-dependent CO(2) reduction. Serpentinizing systems exist in terrestrial and deep ocean environments. On the early Earth they were probably more abundant than today. There is evidence that serpentinization once occurred on Mars and is likely still occurring on Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus, providing a perspective on serpentinization as a source of reductants, catalysts and chemical disequilibrium for life on other worlds.
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spelling pubmed-105812742023-10-18 Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life Schwander, Loraine Brabender, Max Mrnjavac, Natalia Wimmer, Jessica L. E. Preiner, Martina Martin, William F. Front Microbiol Microbiology Serpentinization in hydrothermal vents is central to some autotrophic theories for the origin of life because it generates compartments, reductants, catalysts and gradients. During the process of serpentinization, water circulates through hydrothermal systems in the crust where it oxidizes Fe (II) in ultramafic minerals to generate Fe (III) minerals and H(2). Molecular hydrogen can, in turn, serve as a freely diffusible source of electrons for the reduction of CO(2) to organic compounds, provided that suitable catalysts are present. Using catalysts that are naturally synthesized in hydrothermal vents during serpentinization H(2) reduces CO(2) to formate, acetate, pyruvate, and methane. These compounds represent the backbone of microbial carbon and energy metabolism in acetogens and methanogens, strictly anaerobic chemolithoautotrophs that use the acetyl-CoA pathway of CO(2) fixation and that inhabit serpentinizing environments today. Serpentinization generates reduced carbon, nitrogen and — as newer findings suggest — reduced phosphorous compounds that were likely conducive to the origins process. In addition, it gives rise to inorganic microcompartments and proton gradients of the right polarity and of sufficient magnitude to support chemiosmotic ATP synthesis by the rotor-stator ATP synthase. This would help to explain why the principle of chemiosmotic energy harnessing is more conserved (older) than the machinery to generate ion gradients via pumping coupled to exergonic chemical reactions, which in the case of acetogens and methanogens involve H(2)-dependent CO(2) reduction. Serpentinizing systems exist in terrestrial and deep ocean environments. On the early Earth they were probably more abundant than today. There is evidence that serpentinization once occurred on Mars and is likely still occurring on Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus, providing a perspective on serpentinization as a source of reductants, catalysts and chemical disequilibrium for life on other worlds. Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-10-02 /pmc/articles/PMC10581274/ /pubmed/37854333 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1257597 Text en Copyright © 2023 Schwander, Brabender, Mrnjavac, Wimmer, Preiner and Martin. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Microbiology
Schwander, Loraine
Brabender, Max
Mrnjavac, Natalia
Wimmer, Jessica L. E.
Preiner, Martina
Martin, William F.
Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life
title Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life
title_full Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life
title_fullStr Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life
title_full_unstemmed Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life
title_short Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life
title_sort serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and ph gradients for the origin of luca and life
topic Microbiology
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10581274/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37854333
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1257597
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