Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Rd, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK.
Nat Commun. 2014 Sep 2;5:4607. doi: 10.1038/ncomms5607.
Autocatalysis has been extensively studied because it is central to the propagation of living systems. Chemical systems which self-reproduce like living cells would offer insight into principles underlying biology and its emergence from inanimate matter. Protocellular models feature a surfactant boundary, providing compartmentalization in the form of a micelle or vesicle and any model of the emergence of cellular life must account for the appearance, and evolution of, such boundaries. Here, we describe an autocatalytic system where two relatively simple components combine to form a more complex product. The reaction products aggregate into micelles that catalyse molecular self-reproduction. Study of the reaction kinetics and aggregation behaviour suggests a mechanism involving micelle-mediated physical autocatalysis and led to the rational design of a second-generation system. These reactions are driven by irreversible bond formation and provide a working model for the autocatalytic formation of protocells from the coupling of two simple molecular components.
自催化作用已被广泛研究，因为它是生命系统传播的核心。像活细胞一样自我复制的化学系统将深入了解生物学的基本原则及其从无生命物质中出现。原细胞模型的特点是表面活性剂边界，以胶束或囊泡的形式提供隔室化，并且任何细胞生命出现的模型都必须解释这种边界的出现和演变。在这里，我们描述了一个自催化系统，其中两个相对简单的成分结合形成更复杂的产物。反应产物聚集形成胶束，催化分子的自我复制。对反应动力学和聚集行为的研究表明，涉及胶束介导的物理自催化的机制，并导致第二代系统的合理设计。这些反应是由不可逆键形成驱动的，为从两个简单分子成分的偶联自催化形成原细胞提供了一个工作模型。
