All Stories
Follow
Subscribe to Technische Universität München

Technische Universität München

What gave the first molecules their stability?

TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH

NEWS RELEASE

New insights into the origins of life

What gave the first molecules their stability?

• Until now, it was unclear how complex molecules could survive in the primordial soup• Unstable RNA molecules are stabilized by double strands

• RNAs may be able to form their own complementary strand

The origins of life remain a major mystery. How were complex molecules able to form and remain intact for prolonged periods without disintegrating? A team at ORIGINS, a Munich-based Cluster of Excellence, has demonstrated a mechanism that could have enabled the first RNA molecules to stabilize in the primordial soup. When two RNA strands combine, their stability and lifespan increase significantly.

In all likelihood, life on Earth began in water, perhaps in a tide pool that was cut off from seawater at low tide but flooded by waves at high tide. Over billions of years, complex molecules like DNA, RNA and proteins formed in this setting before, ultimately, the first cells emerged. To date, however, nobody has been able to explain exactly how this happened.

“We know which molecules existed on the early earth,” says Job Boekhoven, Professor of Supramolecular Chemistry at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). “The question is: Can we use this to replicate the origins of life in the lab?” The team led by Boekhoven at the ORIGINS Cluster of Excellence is primarily interested in RNA. “RNA is a fascinating molecule,” says Boekhoven. “It can store information and also catalyze biochemical reactions.” Scientists therefore believe that RNA must have been the first of all complex molecules to form.

The problem, however, is that active RNA molecules are composed of hundreds or even thousands of bases and are very unstable. When immersed in water, RNA strands quickly break down into their constituent parts – a process known as hydrolysis. So, how could RNA have survived in the primordial soup?

How did double strands form in the primordial soup?

In laboratory testing, the researchers from TUM and LMU used a model system of RNA bases that join together more easily than naturally occurring bases in our cells today. “We didn’t have millions of years available and wanted an answer quickly,” explains Boekhoven. The team added these fast-joining RNA bases into a watery solution, provided an energy source and examined the length of the RNA molecules that formed. Their findings were sobering, as the resulting strands of up to five base pairs only survived for a matter of minutes.

The results were different, however, when the researchers started by adding short strands of pre-formed RNA. The free complementary bases quickly joined with this RNA in a process called hybridization. Double strands of three to five base pairs in length formed and remained stable for several hours. “The exciting part is that double strands lead to RNA folding, which can make the RNA catalytically active,” explains Boekhoven. Double-stranded RNA therefore has two advantages: it has an extended lifespan in the primordial soup and serves as the basis for catalytically active RNA.

But how could a double strand have formed in the primordial soup? “We’re currently exploring whether it’s possible for RNAs to form their own complementary strand,” says Boekhoven. It is conceivable for a molecule comprising three bases to join with a molecule comprising three complementary bases – the product of which would be a stable double-strand. Thanks to its prolonged lifespan, further bases could join with it and the strand would grow.

Evolutionary advantage for protocells

Another characteristic of double-stranded RNA could have helped bring about the origin of life. It is firstly important to note that RNA molecules can also form protocells. These are tiny droplets with an interior fully separated from the outside world. Yet, these protocells do not have a stable cell membrane and so easily merge with other protocells, which causes their contents to mix. This is not conducive to evolution because it prevents individual protocells from developing a unique identity. However, if the borders of these protocells are composed of double-stranded DNA, the cells become more stable and merging is inhibited.

Insights also applicable to medicine

In the future, Job Boekhoven hopes to further improve understanding of the formation and stabilization of the first RNA molecules. “Some people regard this research as a sort of hobby. During the Covid-19 pandemic, though, everyone saw how important RNA molecules can be, including for vaccines,” says Boekhoven. “So, while our research is striving to answer one of the oldest questions in science, that’s not all: we’re also generating knowledge about RNA that could benefit many people today.”

Publication:

Kriebisch, C.M.E., Burger, L., Zozulia, O. et al. Template-based copying in chemically fuelled dynamic combinatorial libraries. Nat. Chem. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-024-01570-5

Further information:

• Christine Kriebisch, author of the study, detailed its progress in the Springer Nature’s Behind the Paper series: https://communities.springernature.com/posts/a-journey-towards-understanding-the-stabilization-of-labile-molecules?badge_id=nature-chemistry

• Nature Chemistry published a news article on the study: Mukhopadhyay, R.D. A template for artificial life. Nat. Chem. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-024-01589-8

• The ORIGINS Cluster of Excellence is investigating the formation of the universe and the origins of life. It brings together researchers from TUM, LMU, ESO, the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, the Max Planck Institute for Physics, the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics and the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre. https://www.origins-cluster.de/en/

• This study has received funding from the Volkswagen Foundation and from the German Research Foundation (DFG) as part of the Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments.

Additional Material for Media Outlets:Photos for download: https://mediatum.ub.tum.de/1750629

Subject matter expert:

Prof. Dr. Job BoekhovenTechnical University of Munich (TUM)

Professorship of Supramolecular Chemistry

+49 (0) 89 289 54400

job.boekhoven@tum.de

TUM Corporate Communications Center contact:

Klaus BeckerPressereferent

Tel.: +49 89 289 22798

klaus.becker@tum.de

www.tum.de/en/

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is one of the world’s leading universities in terms of research, teaching and innovation, with around 650 professorships, 52,000 students and 12,000 staff. TUM’s range of subjects includes engineering, natural and life sciences, medicine, computer sciences, mathematics, economics and social sciences. As an entrepreneurial university, TUM envisages itself as a global hub of knowledge exchange, open to society. Every year, more than 70 start-ups are founded at TUM, which acts as a key player in Munich’s high-tech ecosystem. The university is represented around the world by its TUM Asia campus in Singapore along with offices in Beijing, Brussels, Mumbai, San Francisco and São Paulo. Nobel Prize laureates and inventors such as Rudolf Diesel, Carl von Linde and Rudolf Mößbauer have conducted research at TUM, which was awarded the title of University of Excellence in 2006, 2012 and 2019. International rankings regularly cite TUM as the best university in the European Union.

More stories: Technische Universität München
More stories: Technische Universität München
  • 25.07.2024 – 14:32

    TUM and NTU Singapore sign flagship partnership

    TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH NEWS RELEASE Global network is growing TUM and NTU Singapore sign flagship partnership • TUM's fourth flagship partnership• Focus on quantum sciences • Connection with Joint Global Research Hub at TUM Campus Heilbronn The Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU) have set up a flagship partnership. The agreement strengthens TUM's ...

  • 19.07.2024 – 16:44

    World’s first megawatt charger for electric trucks

    TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH NEWS RELEASE Major advance for long-distance electric road transport World’s first megawatt charger for electric trucks • In the future, the legally required rest period will be long enough for a full charge. • Enormous environmental benefits from transition from diesel to electric power • Technology ready for use With partners from industry and research institutions, the Technical ...

  • 14.06.2024 – 10:09

    Impact of Russian social media campaigns less pronounced than often assumed

    TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH NEWS RELEASE War-related disinformation most effective among conspiracy-minded people Impact of Russian social media campaigns less pronounced than often assumed • 19,000 people in Europe and America surveyed on Russian disinformation • Major differences between countries • Whether propaganda is believed does not primarily depend ...