Pillot Guillaume, Santiago Óscar, Kerzenmacher Sven, Liebgott Pierre-Pol
Center for Environmental Research and Sustainable Technology (UFT), University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany.
Aix Marseille University, Université de Toulon, IRD, CNRS, MIO UM 110, 13288 Marseille, France.
Life (Basel). 2023 Jan 28;13(2):356. doi: 10.3390/life13020356.
The emergence of life has been a subject of intensive research for decades. Different approaches and different environmental "cradles" have been studied, from space to the deep sea. Since the recent discovery of a natural electrical current through deep-sea hydrothermal vents, a new energy source is considered for the transition from inorganic to organic. This energy source (electron donor) is used by modern microorganisms via a new trophic type, called electrotrophy. In this review, we draw a parallel between this metabolism and a new theory for the emergence of life based on this electrical electron flow. Each step of the creation of life is revised in the new light of this prebiotic electrochemical context, going from the evaluation of similar electrical current during the Hadean, the CO electroreduction into a prebiotic primordial soup, the production of proto-membranes, the energetic system inspired of the nitrate reduction, the proton gradient, and the transition to a planktonic proto-cell. Finally, this theory is compared to the two other theories in hydrothermal context to assess its relevance and overcome the limitations of each. Many critical factors that were limiting each theory can be overcome given the effect of electrochemical reactions and the environmental changes produced.
几十年来，生命的起源一直是深入研究的主题。从太空到深海，人们研究了不同的方法和不同的环境“摇篮”。自从最近发现通过深海热液喷口存在自然电流以来，一种从无机到有机转变的新能源被考虑。这种能源（电子供体）被现代微生物通过一种新的营养类型——电营养来利用。在这篇综述中，我们将这种新陈代谢与基于这种电子流的生命起源新理论进行了类比。生命诞生的每一步都在这种益生元电化学背景下被重新审视，从冥古宙时期类似电流的评估、一氧化碳电还原为益生元原始汤、原膜的产生、受硝酸盐还原启发的能量系统、质子梯度以及向浮游原细胞的转变。最后，将该理论与热液环境中的另外两种理论进行比较，以评估其相关性并克服每种理论的局限性。考虑到电化学反应的作用和产生的环境变化，许多限制每种理论的关键因素都可以被克服。
