Why we are made of proteins and nucleic acids: Structural biology views on extraterrestrial life
Is it a miracle that life exists on the Earth, or is it a common phenomenon in the universe? If extraterrestrial organisms exist, what are they like? To answer these questions, we must understand what kinds of molecules could evolve into life, or in other words, what properties are generally require...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Biophysical Society of Japan
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Biophysics and Physicobiology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.2142/biophysico.bppb-v20.0026 |
| _version_ | 1797797089582776320 |
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| author | Shunsuke Tagami |
| author_facet | Shunsuke Tagami |
| author_sort | Shunsuke Tagami |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Is it a miracle that life exists on the Earth, or is it a common phenomenon in the universe? If extraterrestrial organisms exist, what are they like? To answer these questions, we must understand what kinds of molecules could evolve into life, or in other words, what properties are generally required to perform biological functions and store genetic information. This review summarizes recent findings on simple ancestral proteins, outlines the basic knowledge in textbooks, and discusses the generally required properties for biological molecules from structural biology viewpoints (e.g., restriction of shapes, and types of intra- and intermolecular interactions), leading to the conclusion that proteins and nucleic acids are at least one of the simplest (and perhaps very common) forms of catalytic and genetic biopolymers in the universe. This review article is an extended version of the Japanese article, On the Origin of Life: Coevolution between RNA and Peptide, published in SEIBUTSU BUTSURI Vol. 61, p. 232–235 (2021). |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:42:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-becb979c60ab478594069cc4921dd23e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2189-4779 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:42:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | The Biophysical Society of Japan |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biophysics and Physicobiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-becb979c60ab478594069cc4921dd23e2023-06-23T05:18:01ZengThe Biophysical Society of JapanBiophysics and Physicobiology2189-47792023-06-012010.2142/biophysico.bppb-v20.0026Why we are made of proteins and nucleic acids: Structural biology views on extraterrestrial lifeShunsuke Tagami0RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, JapanIs it a miracle that life exists on the Earth, or is it a common phenomenon in the universe? If extraterrestrial organisms exist, what are they like? To answer these questions, we must understand what kinds of molecules could evolve into life, or in other words, what properties are generally required to perform biological functions and store genetic information. This review summarizes recent findings on simple ancestral proteins, outlines the basic knowledge in textbooks, and discusses the generally required properties for biological molecules from structural biology viewpoints (e.g., restriction of shapes, and types of intra- and intermolecular interactions), leading to the conclusion that proteins and nucleic acids are at least one of the simplest (and perhaps very common) forms of catalytic and genetic biopolymers in the universe. This review article is an extended version of the Japanese article, On the Origin of Life: Coevolution between RNA and Peptide, published in SEIBUTSU BUTSURI Vol. 61, p. 232–235 (2021).https://doi.org/10.2142/biophysico.bppb-v20.0026origin of lifeastrobiology |
| spellingShingle | Shunsuke Tagami Why we are made of proteins and nucleic acids: Structural biology views on extraterrestrial life Biophysics and Physicobiology origin of life astrobiology |
| title | Why we are made of proteins and nucleic acids: Structural biology views on extraterrestrial life |
| title_full | Why we are made of proteins and nucleic acids: Structural biology views on extraterrestrial life |
| title_fullStr | Why we are made of proteins and nucleic acids: Structural biology views on extraterrestrial life |
| title_full_unstemmed | Why we are made of proteins and nucleic acids: Structural biology views on extraterrestrial life |
| title_short | Why we are made of proteins and nucleic acids: Structural biology views on extraterrestrial life |
| title_sort | why we are made of proteins and nucleic acids structural biology views on extraterrestrial life |
| topic | origin of life astrobiology |
| url | https://doi.org/10.2142/biophysico.bppb-v20.0026 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT shunsuketagami whywearemadeofproteinsandnucleicacidsstructuralbiologyviewsonextraterrestriallife |