Genetics Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.
School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.
J Mol Evol. 2024 Oct;92(5):605-617. doi: 10.1007/s00239-024-10184-x. Epub 2024 Jul 17.
Biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) constitute a significant portion of gas-phase metabolites in modern ecosystems and have unique roles in moderating atmospheric oxidative capacity, solar radiation balance, and aerosol formation. It has been theorized that VOCs may account for observed geological and evolutionary phenomena during the Archaean, but the direct contribution of biology to early non-methane VOC cycling remains unexplored. Here, we provide an assessment of all potential VOCs metabolized by the last universal common ancestor (LUCA). We identify enzyme functions linked to LUCA orthologous protein groups across eight literature sources and estimate the volatility of all associated substrates to identify ancient volatile metabolites. We hone in on volatile metabolites with confirmed modern emissions that exist in conserved metabolic pathways and produce a curated list of the most likely LUCA VOCs. We introduce volatile organic metabolites associated with early life and discuss their potential influence on early carbon cycling and atmospheric chemistry.
生物成因挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）构成了现代生态系统中气相代谢物的重要组成部分，在调节大气氧化能力、太阳辐射平衡和气溶胶形成方面具有独特作用。据推测，VOCs 可能解释了太古代观测到的地质和进化现象，但生物学对早期非甲烷 VOC 循环的直接贡献仍未得到探索。在这里，我们评估了最后一个共同祖先（LUCA）代谢的所有潜在 VOC。我们确定了与 LUCA 同源蛋白组相关的酶功能，这些蛋白组来自八个文献来源，并估计了所有相关底物的挥发性，以确定古代挥发性代谢物。我们专注于具有现代排放物的挥发性代谢物，这些代谢物存在于保守的代谢途径中，并生成了最有可能的 LUCA VOC 精选列表。我们引入了与早期生命相关的挥发性有机代谢物，并讨论了它们对早期碳循环和大气化学的潜在影响。
