Schwartz Alan W
Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen 6500, The Netherlands.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2006 Oct 29;361(1474):1743-9; discussion 1749. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2006.1901.
The prebiotic synthesis of phosphorus-containing compounds-such as nucleotides and polynucleotides-would require both a geologically plausible source of the element and pathways for its incorporation into chemical systems on the primitive Earth. The mineral apatite, which is the only significant source of phosphate on Earth, has long been thought to be problematical in this respect due to its low solubility and reactivity. However, in the last decade or so, at least two pathways have been demonstrated which would circumvent these perceived problems. In addition, recent results would seem to suggest an additional, extraterrestrial source of reactive phosphorus. It appears that the 'phosphorus problem' is no longer the stumbling block which it was once thought to be.
含磷化合物(如核苷酸和多核苷酸)的益生元合成既需要地球上地质条件合理的磷元素来源,也需要将其纳入原始地球化学系统的途径。矿物磷灰石是地球上磷酸盐的唯一重要来源,长期以来,由于其低溶解性和反应活性,在这方面一直被认为存在问题。然而,在过去十年左右的时间里,至少已经证明了两条途径可以规避这些被认为存在的问题。此外,最近的研究结果似乎表明存在另一种外星活性磷源。看来,“磷问题”不再是曾经被认为的绊脚石了。