Environmental Adaptation from the Origin of Life to the Last Universal Common Ancestor
Extensive fundamental molecular and biological evolution took place between the prebiotic origins of life and the state of the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA). Considering the evolutionary innovations between these two endpoints from the perspective of environmental adaptation, we explore the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer Netherlands
2018
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/114219 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9674-018X https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1605-5455 |
| _version_ | 1811088956404531200 |
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| author | Cantine, Marjorie Dianne Fournier, Gregory P. |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Cantine, Marjorie Dianne Fournier, Gregory P. |
| author_sort | Cantine, Marjorie Dianne |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Extensive fundamental molecular and biological evolution took place between the prebiotic origins of life and the state of the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA). Considering the evolutionary innovations between these two endpoints from the perspective of environmental adaptation, we explore the hypothesis that LUCA was temporally, spatially, and environmentally distinct from life’s earliest origins in an RNA world. Using this lens, we interpret several molecular biological features as indicating an environmental transition between a cold, radiation-shielded origin of life and a mesophilic, surface-dwelling LUCA. Cellularity provides motility and permits Darwinian evolution by connecting genetic material and its products, and thus establishing heredity and lineage. Considering the importance of compartmentalization and motility, we propose that the early emergence of cellularity is required for environmental dispersal and diversification during these transitions. Early diversification and the emergence of ecology before LUCA could be an important pre-adaptation for life’s persistence on a changing planet. Keywords: Origin of life, Last universal common ancestor (LUCA), Environmental adaptation |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:10:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/114219 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:10:42Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | Springer Netherlands |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1142192022-09-28T19:04:28Z Environmental Adaptation from the Origin of Life to the Last Universal Common Ancestor Cantine, Marjorie Dianne Fournier, Gregory P. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Cantine, Marjorie Dianne Fournier, Gregory P. Extensive fundamental molecular and biological evolution took place between the prebiotic origins of life and the state of the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA). Considering the evolutionary innovations between these two endpoints from the perspective of environmental adaptation, we explore the hypothesis that LUCA was temporally, spatially, and environmentally distinct from life’s earliest origins in an RNA world. Using this lens, we interpret several molecular biological features as indicating an environmental transition between a cold, radiation-shielded origin of life and a mesophilic, surface-dwelling LUCA. Cellularity provides motility and permits Darwinian evolution by connecting genetic material and its products, and thus establishing heredity and lineage. Considering the importance of compartmentalization and motility, we propose that the early emergence of cellularity is required for environmental dispersal and diversification during these transitions. Early diversification and the emergence of ecology before LUCA could be an important pre-adaptation for life’s persistence on a changing planet. Keywords: Origin of life, Last universal common ancestor (LUCA), Environmental adaptation Simons Foundation (Award 339603) NASA Astrobiology Institute (Award MIT/NNA13AA90A) 2018-03-19T18:48:20Z 2018-05-06T05:00:05Z 2017-07 2018-02-25T04:17:17Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0169-6149 1573-0875 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/114219 Cantine, Marjorie D., and Gregory P. Fournier. “Environmental Adaptation from the Origin of Life to the Last Universal Common Ancestor.” Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres, vol. 48, no. 1, Mar. 2018, pp. 35–54. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9674-018X https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1605-5455 en http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11084-017-9542-5 Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Springer Science+Business Media B.V. application/pdf Springer Netherlands Springer Netherlands |
| spellingShingle | Cantine, Marjorie Dianne Fournier, Gregory P. Environmental Adaptation from the Origin of Life to the Last Universal Common Ancestor |
| title | Environmental Adaptation from the Origin of Life to the Last Universal Common Ancestor |
| title_full | Environmental Adaptation from the Origin of Life to the Last Universal Common Ancestor |
| title_fullStr | Environmental Adaptation from the Origin of Life to the Last Universal Common Ancestor |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environmental Adaptation from the Origin of Life to the Last Universal Common Ancestor |
| title_short | Environmental Adaptation from the Origin of Life to the Last Universal Common Ancestor |
| title_sort | environmental adaptation from the origin of life to the last universal common ancestor |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/114219 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9674-018X https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1605-5455 |
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