N.C.S.R. «Demokritos», Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology , Attiki, Greece .
Astrobiology. 2019 Apr;19(4):547-552. doi: 10.1089/ast.2018.1832. Epub 2018 Nov 15.
Liquid crystals have certain physical properties that promote chemical reactions which cannot occur in bulk phase media. These properties are displayed, among other molecules, by amphiphilic compounds which assemble into membrane structures then concentrate and organize biologically relevant monomers within their confined spaces. When mixtures of lipids and nucleotides are cycled multiple times between hydrated and anhydrous conditions, the monomers polymerize in the dry phase into oligonucleotides. Upon rehydration, mixtures of the polymers are encapsulated in lipid-bounded compartments called protocells. Reactions in liquid crystalline organizing matrices represent a promising approach for future research on how primitive cells could emerge on the early Earth and other habitable planets.
液晶具有某些物理特性，可促进在块状相介质中无法发生的化学反应。这些特性在其他分子中由两亲化合物表现出来，两亲化合物组装成膜结构，然后在其受限空间内浓缩和组织生物相关的单体。当脂质和核苷酸的混合物在水合和无水条件之间多次循环时，单体在干燥相中聚合成长短不一的寡核苷酸。再水合时，聚合物混合物被包裹在称为原细胞的脂质结合隔室内。在液晶组织基质中的反应代表了未来研究原始细胞如何在早期地球和其他可居住行星上出现的一种很有前途的方法。
