Greenalite Nanoparticles in Alkaline Vent Plumes as Templates for the Origin of Life.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Rasmussen, B. Muhling, J.R. Fischer, W.W.
Copyright Year	2021
Abstract	Mineral templates are thought to have played keys roles in the emergence of life. Drawing on recent findings from 3.45–2.45 billion-year-old iron-rich hydrothermal sedimentary rocks, we hypothesize that greenalite (Fe3Si2O5(OH)4) was a readily available mineral in hydrothermal environments, where it may have acted as a template and catalyst in polymerization, vesicle formation and encapsulation, and protocell replication. We argue that venting of dissolved Fe2+ and SiO2(aq) into the anoxic Hadean ocean favored the precipitation of nanometer-sized particles of greenalite in hydrothermal plumes, producing a continuous flow of free-floating clay templates that traversed the ocean. The mixing of acidic, metal-bearing hydrothermal plumes from volcanic ridge systems with more alkaline, organic-bearing plumes generated by serpentinization of ultramafic rocks brought together essential building blocks for life in solutions conducive to greenalite precipitation. We suggest that the extreme disorder in the greenalite crystal lattice, producing structural modulations resembling parallel corrugations (∼22 Å wide) on particle edges, promoted the assembly and alignment of linear RNA-type molecules (∼20 Å diameter). In alkaline solutions, greenalite nanoparticles could have accelerated the growth of membrane vesicles, while their encapsulation allowed RNA-type molecules to continue to form on the mineral templates, potentially enhancing the growth and division of primitive cell membranes. Once self-replicating RNA evolved, the mineral template became redundant, and protocells were free to replicate and roam the ocean realm.
Related Links	https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC7876356&blobtype=pdf
Page Count	14
ISSN	15311074
Journal	Astrobiology
Volume Number	21
DOI	10.1089/ast.2020.2270
PubMed Central reference number	PMC7876356
Issue Number	2
PubMed reference number	33085498
e-ISSN	15578070
Language	English
Publisher	Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers
Publisher Date	2020-10-20
Publisher Place	140 Huguenot Street, 3rd FloorNew Rochelle, NY 10801USA
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	This Open Access article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited. © B. Rasmussen et al., 2021; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Subject Keyword	Origin of life Alkaline vents Greenalite Clay templates RNA Hydrothermal sediments
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Agricultural and Biological Sciences Space and Planetary Science