Title

Autocatalytic chemical networks at the origin of metabolism.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-11-2020

Publication Title

Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society

Abstract

Modern cells embody metabolic networks containing thousands of elements and form autocatalytic sets of molecules that produce copies of themselves. How the first self-sustaining metabolic networks arose at life's origin is a major open question. Autocatalytic sets smaller than metabolic networks were proposed as transitory intermediates at the origin of life, but evidence for their role in prebiotic evolution is lacking. Here, we identify reflexively autocatalytic food-generated networks (RAFs)-self-sustaining networks that collectively catalyse all their reactions-embedded within microbial metabolism. RAFs in the metabolism of ancient anaerobic autotrophs that live from H

Department

Institute for Systems Biology

Department

Endocrinology

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